Keep Me
by dream7me7to7sleep
Summary: The story begins well before vampires have come out of the coffin. Our favorite Viking happens upon a runaway, and his existence is turned upside down. With magic, intrigue and bloodlines mingling together, Eric finds that even he can still be surprised. *This is an AU, but Sookie's back story is the only one that has been really altered.*
1. Chapter 1

**Keep Me**

****_Hello, Readers, and welcome to the first chapter of __Keep Me__: an Eric/Sookie fanfic. A fair warning before you begin reading- I do write mature material, and the chapter pretty much begins and ends with it in some way or another. If this offends you, or you underage to view such material, please hit "back" on your browser now._

_This is my first SVMN fic, so I hope I do the characters justice. Also, this is an AU- there are still vampires and Sookie is still a telepath, but it does not begin where the SVMN books began, nor True Blood. I do not want to ruin any surprises, and I promise that you will catch on quickly. It is best if you are moderately familiar with both mediums of the story, for I have a tendency to pluck from both._

_As always, reviews are appreciated, and criticisms and suggestions are always welcome. Please, remember to watch the nature of your reviews, however. Blatant flames are not welcome, and any issues you have with me, or my writing would be better sent in a PM, and not put in a review. My chapters are written, proof-read, spell checked and re-read by myself. Any errors, grammatical, continuity, or otherwise are mine, and mine alone._

_That said: Please enjoy __Keep Me__!_

_-Andi_

**Chapter One:**

Eric could not make heads or tails over how he ended up in this predicament. He was not unfamiliar to the feel of a woman in his arms, even an unconscious one like the girl he held now. It was the fact that she was neither glamored, drained, nor yielding to him that threw him off balance. Yet, despite the absences of those usual prerequisites, Eric carried the young woman to his home.

If Pam were still with him, Eric knew she would have been smiling devilishly as he laid the girl on the couch. She would have tease him about ordering take-out, or bringing home a doggy bag, or something equally her style of humor.

One thing was certain. If this girl was going to sleep in his guest room tonight, she would _not_ be smelling like this!

After Eric divested himself of his unneeded coat, he started peeling layers of torn, ruddy clothing off of his new ward. The layers had left his new trinket shapeless, and it was not until this moment that he had the opportunity to appraise her physical beauty. _Ah!_ Eric swooned at the sight of her breasts- they were full and firm. He could tell from her musculature that she had lost a lot of weight in a short amount of time, so the circumstances that sent her to live on the street were apparently recent; probably no more than a month or two. With all of the famines he had lived through, Eric had a good eye for such changes in human physique.

_It is impressive that she managed to fight as long as she did in such a weakened state,_ Eric thought to himself, remembering how he had stopped in front of one of his buildings when he saw two men standing by its doors. When he saw them picking at a person sleeping in the alcove of the doorway, he realized what they were up to. Not wanting to have to file any reports on disturbances occurring on his property, the vampire went to intervene. As he approached, the young woman awoke and started fighting like a feral cat as the men tried to rip away her clothes. She had clawed and bit with ferocity, impressing Eric with her zest.

Once again, the smell of the urchin's blood tempted the vampire, but he resisted admirably. He wanted her body clean before he partook in such a treat, not wanting the flavor marred by her unclean skin. After he had her completely naked, Eric scooped the young woman from the couch and carried her to his large bathroom. Eric debated between giving her a bath or a shower, but considering just how dirty she was- he opted for the standing shower. It would be easier for him to support her weight and wash her, rather than have her lying in her own filth in the tub.

Flipping on the water to warm it and not rudely awaken his unaware dependent, Eric leaned her against the wall before stripping himself down as well. Eric picked the girl back up and carried her into the standing shower with him. She stirred slightly at the warm water, but her head merely snuggled deeper into Eric's chest. He chuckled as he began washing her, dampening her hair so it could be lathered and cleaned as well. He took care not to hurt her head any further than the damage the two men had done to it- which had rendered the little warrior unconscious, and cued Eric to step in. As Eric ran the soapy wash cloth over the girl's body, she jerked awake and would have cracked her head against the wall if Eric had not held her to himself in a vice like restraint.

"No, no nononnonono!" The girl began sobbing, struggling against him. Her earlier fight response kicking back in. Though it was unwelcome, Eric felt a tinge of regret that she would awaken at that moment, and her only logical conclusion was that she was either about to be raped, or already had been.

"Quiet, Little One, I am only washing you." Eric spoke quietly but firmly into her ear. He could feel her trembling like a caged rabbit in his arms and against his body. "You were not going to sleep in _my_ home smelling like a garbage heap."

"But... Yer naked, too." She had yet to turn or even look at him, and she kept her head tilted down, staring at her bare feet as, mostly, clear water ran past her nervously curling toes.

"I was not going to soak my own clothing in defense of your over developed sense of modesty." His tone was dry and unamused. She nodded slowly in understanding, still not looking up at him. "Look at me, Little One." Eric's tone sharpened, and the girl's head snapped to the side to catch his gaze from the corner of her eyes, "Turn towards me and look me in the eyes." She did as he said, "What is your name?"

"Sookie." She replied meekly, forcing herself to not break eye contact.

"How old are you?"

"17..." She mumbled. That surprised Eric. He could tell that she was young, but age had become a _very_ difficult thing for him to distinguish in humans long ago.

Sookie was relaxing as he asked her questions, and Eric could tell that she was becoming less frightened. "So young." He smiled slightly, "Just a child. Why were you sleeping in the doorway of one of my properties?" He asked.

"It was cold... All the alleys were too windy..." She mumbled.

"Why do you not live with your family?" He asked, using the soapy wash cloth on her again.

"I don't have any family." Her eyes darkened.

"Are you a runaway, Sookie?" He asked, still gently washing her.

"No, I'm a survivor."

Eric actually laughed at that. "You are delightful." He grinned at her, turning off the shower and opening the door to grab a towel and begin drying them both off. He wrapped the towel securely around Sookie's body before handing her a second towel for her hair, "There, much better. Very clean." He nodded in approval.

Sookie hugged the towel around herself, "Thank ya." She mumbled shyly.

"You are welcome." He cupped her chin delicately before leaning in and kissing her forehead, "You are very beautiful, Sookie." She blushed deeply.

"Yer hands are chilly." She commented.

"Yes." Eric grabbed a towel to drape around his waist because he was aware that his own nudity was a continued stressor for the girl, though she showed great resolve in not appraising him. "I will show you to the room you will be sleeping in." He took her hand, leading her out of the bathroom.

"Ya don't expect me to sleep with ya?" Her voice was surprised.

"Did you wish to?" Eric's eyebrows rose in mock surprise, "I will gladly accommodate you, if that is your desire." He wriggled his eyebrows now, making Sookie blush.

"Nah, I just..." She took a deep breath, "I've never been offered help, only trade-offs."

"I do not barter women into my bed." Eric frowned, "They either wish to be there, or they do not. Most usually wish to be there." He smirked down at her, earning another blush, "That color looks delightful on you. You should wear it more often." He opened a door and let her step inside. "You may stay in here. A friend of mine stays regularly in this room, and she leaves clothes here. You appear about the same size, so feel free to borrow from her wardrobe until we are able to acquire clothes more suited to you." He nodded his head at the closet and dresser. "There is also a bathroom just through that door where you should find a spare toothbrush." He showed her the connected bathroom. Dental hygiene was not necessary for a vampire, but it was a good idea to clean away bloodstains before continuing the evening. "And I will be sure that there is food in the kitchen for you in the morning. I will not be available until the evening, and will be gone before you awaken. Will you stay here until I return?" He asked.

Sookie nodded, "Yeah." She paused for a second, "What's yer name?"

He nodded as if that had detail had slipped his mind all together, "Eric Northman."

"Thank ya, Eric." Sookie smiled slightly up at him, appearing to still be a bit weary.

"You are very welcome, Sookie." He purred, earning another tasty blush.

"Is there..." She forced her eyes to connect with his own again, instinctively knowing that he demanded eye contact when he was being spoken to, "Is there anywhere I shouldn't be in the house?"

Eric was surprised at her immediate inquiry to her limitations in his home, "Go wherever you wish, however, if you intend to stay until I return, I would appreciate it if you did not leave between now and then. I have a security system that you would not be able to disengage on your return. Feel free to anything in the house, however. There is a library on the first floor, and a TV in the den should you get bored. I would prefer if you did not go on my computer." He told her.

"I don't know how t'use one anyway." She smiled wryly.

Eric was surprised to hear that. If a vampire as old as he could use one, he figured that someone as young as she would probably know more than him about computers.

"Sleep well, Little One." Eric nodded at her before leaving the bedroom so that she could dress.

"I-" Sookie cut herself off.

"Yes?" He turned back to her.

"Are ya goin' t'sleep?" She asked timidly.

Eric wanted to laugh. It was only midnight- he would be awake quite a while. "No, I am not going to sleep just yet."

"I'm not very tired." She told him, "Can I keep ya company?" Eric smiled a bit wider, "I feel weird staying in a stranger's house..." She finished lamely.

"I would enjoy that. Find something to wear, and I will meet you in the den. When you go downstairs, turn right into the hallway, it is the first arch on the left." He told her, and then walked slowly out of the guest bedroom.

Sookie waited a beat after the door closed before turning towards the bathroom. Her first course of action was to brush her teeth. They felt grimy and the girl felt embarrassed that she had even _spoken_ to another human being and subjected them to her, more than likely, horrendous breath.

After her teeth were clean, Sookie came from the bathroom and began opening the drawers of the dresser. She found the underwear drawer and slipped on a pair of panties, trying to ignore the fact that they were lacy, very sexy, and just a _tad_ too big. Her young body had not quite finished forming her hips yet, so these particular coverings were not designed to cling to her still-developing figure. Finding the sleeping clothes, Sookie blushed a deep red. There was not a single garment that she could make herself wear, especially around her host. All of the nightgowns were practically transparent, or extremely short- or both. Sookie went through all of the drawers, hoping to find track pants or shorts, and a normal t-shirt. Whoever Eric's _friend_ was, she obviously did not believe in "dressing down".

Finding a robe that was _almost_ modest, Sookie wrapped it around herself and headed back downstairs.

"Are you not cold, Little Sookie?" Eric chuckled when she arrived.

"What kind of... Ummm... friend is it that stays with ya?" Sookie asked shyly.

"A very close one." Eric smiled, "Her name is Pam, and we have known each other a very long time."

"She... She doesn't got nothin' I would feel okay sleepin' in." Sookie admitted, the blush on her face cluing Eric in that what his Child was privy to wearing was not deemed appropriate by his guest.

"I see." Eric chuckled, "Would you feel more comfortable in one of my shirts? It would be very long on you, probably to your knees."

"Would ya feel weird if I wore yer clothes?" Sookie asked quietly.

"Not at all." Eric laughed, "Do not be frightened about Pam's public clothes, though. She has much more modest public attire." He assured before leaving to grab a shirt for her. When he came back and handed it to her, he pointed across the hallway, "There is a bathroom where you can put that on connecting to the room across the hallway." He told her, and Sookie hopped away excitedly. _She must really want more clothes on around me,_ he thought to himself with a chuckle. Usually women wanted as few clothes on in his presence as possible.

When Sookie returned, Eric patted the empty cushion beside him.

"So, Eric," Sookie began, "what do ya do for a livin'?"

Eric thought about that for a moment. There was so much that he did, "I am a businessman. I own several businesses that I coordinate and run."

"Oh, cool." She was without direction on where to take the conversation from that point.

"Will you tell me why you ran away?" He asked.

"No." Sookie shook her head firmly, "Ya wouldn't believe me if I told ya."

"Try me." Eric was intrigued.

Sookie shook her head again, "It's private."

"I do not need to worry about you killing me in my sleep, do I?" He joked.

"No."

"That was a joke, Little One."

"Oh."

Eric shook his head with amusement, "What will you tell me about yourself, then? I do not even know your last name."

"I don't have one."

"Oh?"

"I don't want that name never again." She seethed.

"I am sure your parents would not like to hear you say that." Eric told her.

"They're dead." She responded.

"I am sorry to hear that." He was not actually sorry, but he knew that was the appropriate response.

"Don't be." Was her reply. "I hate 'em."

"Good, I was just saying that, anyway. Why do you not like them?" He inquired further.

"Because they-" She stopped short and eyed him warily, "They had me committed."

"Committed?" Eric's eyebrows rose to his hairline. She did not _seem_ crazy. In fact, she appeared to have all of her faculties.

"Ya know- a loony bin?" She looked at him with exasperation.

"Yes, I know the colloquialism." Eric nodded, "Why did they do that?"

"They was afraid of me." Sookie's tone was growing steadily deeper as her emotions darkened, "After they died, custody of me passed to my Gran, and she had me released. She died when I was fourteen, and then I went to live with my uncle."

"Did he die?" Eric asked.

"If only." Sookie ground out.

"So, he is the one you ran away from. The question we have come back to is "why"?"

"It's still private." Sookie replied, not giving anything away. Eric was frustrated.

"Why will you not tell me?" Eric asked.

"It's not somethin' t'talk about with a stranger." Sookie explained.

"I will let it go for now, then. I hope that I am not a stranger for long." Eric smiled, and it spread to Sookie's lips.

"If I ask ya something strange, will ya kick me out?" Sookie asked quietly.

"I doubt that you could ask anything that I would be offended by." Eric was intrigued.

"Do ya believe in fairytale stuff?" She asked.

"Such as?" Eric was even more captivated.

"Ghosts, monsters, humans with weird powers. Stuff like that." Sookie elaborated.

"Yes. Is that your strange question?" He asked, hoping the topic continued for some reason.

"No, I just wanted to check before I said this:" Sookie told him, "Because... Don't freak out, but ya _glow_. It's not bright, but it's there."

Eric was more than just surprised, "How can you see that?" He tried to keep the demand out of his voice.

"What are ya?" Sookie whispered with awe.

"Do you promise not to run out of the house screaming if I tell you?" Eric asked in a low voice. It was not as if he would be unable to catch her, but he would have preferred if she did not run from him.

"Of course. Who am I to run away from somethin' different?" Sookie shrugged.

Eric lowered his fangs at the end of her declaration, and she did not even flinch. "Vampire."

"...Wow..." Sookie was amazed, and she reached to touch his fangs but stopped suddenly, "Can I?"

Eric nodded, and tried to keep his eyes from rolling back in euphoria as her delicate finger glided across his ivory fang.

"They go back up?" She asked, and as a demonstration, Eric let them slide back into their human façade. "That's awesome."

"What are you?" Eric asked.

"Human... And I can read minds." She admitted.

"You can hear my thoughts?" Eric asked, suppressing a growl so as not to frighten her from speaking the truth.

"No... I can't hear anythin' from ya. That's why I got scared in the shower- 'cause I didn't know what was going on." She explained. "I like ya, though. I've never met someone who's mind I couldn't read. It's very nice to finally know what "quiet" is."

"I'm sure that living in a mental institution was quite difficult for you as a telepath." Eric actually sounded like he cared.

"What's a telepath?" She asked quietly, looking embarrassed.

"One that can hear others' thoughts." He elaborated, surprised that she had never heard the term.

"Oh, well, let's just say, there was no questionin' if I was crazy or not. With all the "voices" and creepy thoughts I was hearin', I was completely out of my mind when they put me in there." She gave a chagrinned smile.

Eric chuckled, "How would you like to work with me, Little One? I have many people in my employment, and it would be a great advantage to know what they are up to." He explained. "You could interview them and take notes on what they were thinking when you asked specific questions I would leave for you to ask."

"I don't know how much help I could be." Sookie admitted.

"A lot."

"Not really... I have a lot of... Problems with that." She tried to find a way to explain.

"Such as?"

Sookie blushed, "I can't read."

"How is that... Possible?" Eric was flabbergasted, but it did explain her simple way of speaking, and her not knowing what a telepath was.

"I spent most of my childhood drugged up in a mental institution. And I have so much trouble blocking out thoughts, that I can never pay attention long enough to learn nothin'." She explained.

"I will teach you how to read, and write... And speak." Eric nodded firmly.

"R-really?" Sookie looked excited.

"I will teach you a lot of things, Sookie." Eric smiled, "You will become well educated under me."

"Will I get to meet other vampires?" Sookie asked.

"Oh, yes." Eric nodded, "Especially in a few years."

"Why's that?" Sookie tilted her head curiously.

"Vampires will make themselves known to the world in a few years. The Japanese have created a synthetic blood that we have discovered can sustain us." He explained, "It will be called the "Great Revelation"."

"That's so cool!" Sookie gushed.

"On certain levels, yes. On others, it will be quite a nuisance. Unfortunately, modern forensic sciences are making it more and more difficult for us to remain hidden." Eric sighed, "So this is our best course of action."

"Huh..." Sookie turned thoughtful, "How often do ya need t'... Drink?"

"At my age, I can go a week or two without human blood , but when I drink regularly, I require very little. The synthetic blood is less filling however, and I'd need a couple bottles a week to maintain myself on just that, though I have no intention of drinking synthetic very often. Only for appearances."

"Did ya bring me home fer a snack?" Sookie asked.

"Yes, but I wanted you clean first. Your skin was quite unappealing." Eric told her, "But then you awoke, and I decided I wanted to talk to you."

"Are ya... _Hungry?_" She asked.

"A bit, but I can go a while longer without needing to feed." Eric shrugged.

"Would ya have killed me?" She whispered her inquiry.

"No, I would have taken my fill and then glamoured you into thinking we had only had sex. You would have gone on your merry little way thinking you were just exhausted from a night of passion." Eric leered.

"I ain't never had a night of passion." Sookie murmured.

"Mmm," Eric's eyes lit up, "I knew there had to be a reason behind that sweet scent in your blood."

Sookie flushed, "If yer hungry, or if it would make ya more comfy... Ya could drink from me." She offered.

"Is that so?" Eric grinned and Sookie _almost_ regretted making the offer.

"I... I guess... Does it hurt?"

"Not if I do it right." Eric's grin became mischievous.

"Okay..." Sookie bared her neck and Eric clicked his tongue, "What?"

"If I bite straight away, it will hurt." He told her, turning her head towards his and catching her gaze, "You just need to relax, and-."

"OW!" Sookie pulled away, holding her head, "What did ya just do? That hurt!" Eric's brow furrowed.

"Impossible..." Eric took her chin again and caught her eyes, "Just relax, all right? I am going to try something. Tell me if you feel anything." He tried once again to instill his glamour and felt her flinch, "You felt that?"

"Yeah, what are ya doing?" She tilted her chin out of his hand, still rubbing her head.

"I was trying to glamour you so that you would be relaxed. It takes the pain out of the bite." He explained.

"Oh... So does that mean I can't be glamoured?" Sookie asked.

"It would appear so." Eric was still reeling from surprise. It had been a long time since he had been surprised. Even longer since he had been surprised so many times in such quick succession.

"So, I guess if ya drink from me, it's gonna hurt, huh?" She sighed.

"We could do it the old fashioned way." He wriggled his eyebrows.

"Do I even _want_ t' know?" She asked.

Eric leaned in and captured her lips with his own. Sookie gasped against his mouth, but relaxed quickly into the massaging caress of his lips. She tensed when she felt his tongue sweep over her lips, and she opened her mouth to him hesitantly. At that moment, she was grateful that she had thought to brush her teeth before coming downstairs. The feel of Eric's tongue invading her mouth took Sookie's breath away, her arms rose to wrap around his neck, and she allowed him to lean into her, forcing her body to lie back on the couch.

Kissing the breath from her, Eric moved on to her cheek, her eyelids, her chin, and then finally to the column of her throat. Sookie whimpered a moan as he ground his hips against hers, and she wrapped her legs over his waist instinctually. "Ah!" She gasped when his hips rolled, pressing his bulge directly over her inflamed sex.

Nostrils flaring as the scent of her arousal wafted into them, Eric nibbled lightly on her neck, somehow managing to keep his fangs from popping out and piercing the beautiful flesh. "I have barely touched you, and you are so aroused." Eric sucked harshly on her neck, tasting the blood vessels popping beneath the surface of her skin- a teasing appetizer of his soon-to-be meal.

Letting one of his hands slide down her body, Eric took ahold of one of her breasts, squeezing it lightly and earning another moan. When he found her nipple through the fabric of her borrowed shirt, he gave it a light pinch and listened in delight as she whimpered and her hips bucked to meet his. Eric let his other hand roam to her free breast and began to manipulate and tease that nipple as well, his mouth busy suckling and lightly biting her throat. When she began to tremble and whimper uncontrollably, Eric let his fangs pop into place and bury themselves in her lovely flesh.

The scream that erupted from Sookie's mouth was not one of pain, and Eric could smell the flooding scent of her arousal, even as he felt her hips bucking up to glide against his own. When he drank his fill and retracted his fangs, Sookie slumped onto the couch breathlessly, still whimpering as though feeling after shocks of pleasure.

"Did you just come, Little One?" Eric whispered from her throat as he licked the wound clean to seal it.

"I don't know. I never have before." She let out another satisfied whimper. "I think so..."

One of Eric's hands left her breast and slid down the length of Sookie's body until it was pushing around the elastic of her panties. Sookie gasped and struggled to get away from his fingers, but his weight held her pinned.

"Mmm, wet and twitching." Eric purred in approval, "Your little pussy just had its first orgasm." He licked her throat from the clavicle to the point of her chin, and felt an increase of moisture gathering around his finger. "Do you want me to make you come again, Little One?" Eric asked in that same seductive purr.

"Y-yeah, Eric." Sookie whimpered.

Eric growled when she said his name while her voice was laced with pleasure. His finger began tracing over the slick gash between her thighs, slicking up his fingertip before circling her clit. Sookie arched against his caress and moaned. Carefully, he slid his middle finger into her warm pussy and pumped in and out while his thumb flicked and circled the bundle of nerves between her folds. Using his free hand, Eric pushed the t-shirt up above her breasts and latched his mouth onto one, and his hand took hold of the other.

Sookie screamed with the force of her next orgasm, her hands pressing against her eyes as she cried and gasped for breath. However, Eric was not finished. Having primed her and gotten her juices flowing heavily, he chose to abandon her breast and slide down the length of her body. Sookie was not conscious of her panties sliding down her legs, but she decided later, that had she noticed at the time- she _still_ would not have stopped him. When his mouth enveloped her sex, and his tongue started to manipulate her entrance and clit, she crowed happily.

"Ah! Oh, oh, please!" Sookie cried and gasped as his tongue twisted around her clit, flickering it so fast that she was panting and arching against his mouth, "I-I'm gonna come again!" She moaned, tears forming in her eyes from the exquisite pleasure. The explosion of her next climax caused her to arch so strenuously, that she could feel the muscles of her thighs and abdomen protest the movement. As she peaked into her orgasm, Eric bit the inside of her thigh, drawing just enough blood to enjoy the taste of her again.

Collapsing against the couch, Sookie gasped for breath, hands fisted under her chin as her entire body seemed to curl in on itself.

"Are you all right, Little One?" Eric asked between laps of his tongue against her wounded thigh.

"I feel wonderful..." Sookie sighed, un-fisting a hand to stroke Eric's long blond hair, "Will ya kiss me again?" She murmured. Sliding up the length of her body, Eric captured her lips once more, tangling his tongue with hers, letting Sookie taste herself in his mouth.

"You are the most delectable human I have ever tasted." Eric whispered against her lips, "You could rival a Fae."

"Fae?" Sookie tilted her head curiously, her fingers still combing through his hair.

"A fairy. Their blood is particularly addictive." Eric explained, kissing her cheek and working his way over to her ear to nip the cartilage and suck on the lobe. Sookie could still feel his arousal pressing against her through the thick denim of his jeans. Her hand reached between them tentatively, and she rubbed him through his pants. Eric growled, pressing into her caress, "You are playing a dangerous game, Little One." He bit her throat with blunt teeth, "I may take your innocence if you continue." He licked the spot he had just ravaged, "You do not want a monster taking your virginity, do you?"

"As long as I remember, humans have been bigger monsters to me." She whispered breathlessly, "Ya've treated me with more kindness than any human ever has... Aside from my Gran." She added as an after thought. "Please? I want ya to." She whispered.

Eric growled deep in his throat, "Are you sure, Little One?" She nodded, and Eric scooped her up into his arms, carrying her towards the kitchen. Sookie was surprised to see a false wall in the pantry that revealed a touch pad that Eric keyed the password into. The small alcove had another keypad that he unlocked after the first door had shut. "It is a light safe passage." He explained, "No one but myself and Pam have the pass codes, but I made sure there was a hallway and another set of locks in the event that someone tried to get to me in the day time."

"Oh."

"Do you know your numbers, Little One?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"I will teach you the passwords before I go to rest." He nuzzled her ear, "That way, if you wish to return to me before dusk, you can."

The second door sprang open and Sookie flinched a bit from the sound it made, causing Eric to chuckle at her timidness. She, apparently, was frightened by sudden noises. She reminded him very much of a rabbit.

Setting her down on the large bed that he knew her eyes could not yet see, Eric reached over and turned on the bedside lamp. It was only there for aesthetic reasons, but he was sure his human companion appreciated the additional light.

"Take off your shirt, Little One." Eric instructed. Sookie's hands slowly pulled her shirt over her head in a movement that was more shy than seductive, and she let it fall to the side of the bed. Her eyes shied away from his gaze as her hands went to hide her breasts, but when he cleared his throat, her eyes snapped back on him obediently and hands fell back to her sides.

She watched, captivated, as Eric began removing his own clothes, her eyes taking in every inch of him that she had avoided looking at in their shower earlier. She was surprised how long ago that felt. The past couple of hours seemed like days.

When Eric was completely naked, Sookie blushed as she glanced at his male extremity. Her eyes went straight back to his once she had peeked at it, and now she could not bring herself to look at it again. Her body trembled from the mere sight of his maleness and her thighs drew together instinctively. Sookie could feel the slickness between her lower lips, sliding down her inner thigh just from the sight of him, but her heart fluttered and it became harder to breathe as she worriedly anticipated taking him inside of her.

Eric could see the hesitation, and smell her want. Deciding to let her familiarize herself with him, Eric stood beside the end of the bed and beckoned for her, "Come here, Sookie." He smiled. She crawled down the length of the bed, keeping her eyes locked on his, despite the fact that she was head to head with his member. "Take me into your hand." He instructed, his voice deep and reassuring. Sookie reached out tentatively and placed her hand around his length, her tiny fingers not even meeting her palm. She whimpered worriedly at his girth. "Do not be frightened, Little One. Just stroke me for a while." He laced his fingers through her long blonde hair, stroking his fingertips against her scalp soothingly as she took hesitant pumps with her arm. "That is a good girl." He encouraged, and saw her eyes light up at the sound of his approval. Eric realized quickly that she soaked up his encouragement and approval like a sponge. He decided to use that to his advantage. "Try taking me into your mouth now." He continued, shutting his eyes to bask in the heat of her mouth, her little tongue flickering over his swollen flesh experimentally, "Good girl, use your tongue." He approved and she soon started bobbing her head up and down on him vigorously, tongue snaking every direction to elicit more praise.

Eric opened his eyes and looked down to see her staring up at him with her big, blue eyes and mouth full of his cock, cheeks hollowed out as she sucked him, "You are so beautiful, Sookie." He hissed, resisting the urge to thrust into her inviting mouth, and reveled in the sight of her cheeks flushing. Brushing her hair out of her face, his thumb stroked her cheek, "Are you still nervous?" He asked. Sookie pulled her mouth off of him with a "popping" sound and shook her head. "Tell me so."

"Nah, Eric, I'm not nervous no more." She stated clearly.

"Good. Now, lie back on the bed." He instructed, and smiled as Sookie did so quickly. Eric took her foot into his hand and leaned down to kiss the top of it, working kisses up the length of her leg, then her hip, across her stomach, and then working back down the other leg. Sookie rolled her hips impatiently as Eric teased her. Sliding his hands up both of her legs, he cupped them at the bends of her knees and pushed her legs out and back, opening her center for him. Sookie jolted and cried out when his mouth began devouring her again. After a few moments of attention from his mouth, Eric released one of her legs to use his skilled fingers. He started with a single digit, familiarizing his lover with the feeling of being penetrated. As she became conversant with the sensation, Eric added another finger, stretching out her inexperienced entrance in preparation for his member.

When Sookie was on the edge of oblivion, Eric rose over her, releasing her other leg, and thrust deep into her with a single, long stroke. Bursting past her maidenhead, Eric felt her inner walls tremor and quake around him, and she cried out in pleasure, oblivious to any pain that had occurred. Kneeling between her legs, Eric wrapped them around his waist and then grabbed her hips as he began to thrust. Sookie cried out with every stroke, her hands clenching into the bedding, her eyes squeezed shut. With every thrust, she mewled, and Eric enjoyed the shimmy of her breasts as they moved with each collision of their sexes. Sookie twisted her hips against his movements, and sobbed in pleasure at the new angle.

"Kiss me, please, kiss me." Sookie babbled, releasing her death grip on the duvet and reaching up for him. Eric obliged quickly, and pressed his lips against hers gently. When he pulled away to let her breathe, she wrapped her arms around his neck and started gyrating her hips in a fluid like motion, meeting his thrusts. "Oh! OH!" She whimpered into his ear, arching her back with an intense orgasm.

Eric growled as the already tight passage became almost unbearably so, spurring him on to pound into her faster and harder, sending another shock wave through the overly sensitive girl. She screamed with a swift orgasm as he filled her with his spendings and bit the juncture between her neck and shoulder viciously.

Holding Sookie tightly as she came back down, he licked her freshest wound until it closed, and then slipped out of her still throbbing pussy before flopping onto the bed beside her. Sookie immediately curled into his body, tucking her head into his chest.

"Did I do okay?" She murmured after a moment of silence.

"Lover, you were exquisite." Eric tilted his neck so that he could kiss the top of her head reassuringly, "If I had not torn through your hymen I would have doubted that you were a virgin."

"If I hadn't've had one, wouldn't that've meant I wasn't a virgin?" Sookie was surprised.

Eric shook his head, "No, there are plenty of virgins that do not have one, or damaged it through other, non-sexual activities." He told her.

"Huh." That was Sookie's eloquent response.

Eric chuckled, "You are a marvel." He kissed the top of her head again, growling against her hair, "I want to enjoy you again." He squeezed her to his body, his arm trailing down and tracing symbols into her belly. "Are you tender?" He asked, sliding down a bit to kiss her cheek and then down her throat.

Sookie felt a deep pang in her loins, but ignored it, "I'm fine." She reassured.

"I will take you very gently this time. I should have been more careful with you the first time, but I was overwhelmed by your eagerness." He teased, giving her throat a blunt toothed nibble. Sookie rocked against him slowly with a moan, gliding her hand down his body to caress his cock as his lips and tongue tickled her neck and chest. Turning onto his side, Eric caressed his finger down the curve of her hip, caught the back of her knee, and draped her leg across his side. Their height difference left Sookie's face buried against Eric's chest as he slipped into her gently, earning a pleased sigh.

"Oh! It feels so good, Eric." She whimpered, clutching onto his upper arm as she bit his chest just above his nipple. "Ya feel so good inside me." Eric growled, grabbing her chin and tilting her head back so he could crush his lips to hers, taking the passion out on her mouth rather than increasing the speed of his hips. He did not want her hurting too badly in the morning, just sore enough to remind her of their night together until he could refresh her memory the next evening.

Her body began to roll against his, meeting Eric's thrusts with her own fluid like motion. Taking a handful of her glorious ass, Eric pulled her a bit harder against him as their bodies met, kneading the tender globe as he did so.

"Eric, I'm comin', oh! OH! AHHH!" She clung to him helplessly as the vampire's movements became erratic with his own climax.

"Sookie!" Eric growled loudly, thrusting deeply and staying in close as he lost control of his hips. The girl clung to him, mewling and crying out loud and passionate.

"Gods," Eric murmured huskily into her ear, "you are magnificent. I could fuck you all night." He kissed her forehead firmly, his cock still buried deep inside of her. "I might never want to let you go, Little One." He kissed her cheek now.

"Will you have sex with me again tomorrow?" Sookie asked, her big eyes shy, but filled with want.

"I think you can guarantee that I will be bedding you _every_ night."

**TBC**

_I hope you enjoyed the chapter and continue to read __Keep Me__! Please, review! _

_-Andi_


	2. Chapter 2

****_Keep Me_

_A/N: Welcome, everyone, to chapter two of __Keep Me__! Thank you to all of my readers who reviewed the first chapter. It was delightful to have such an enthusiastic reception. Especially since this is my first __True Blood__ fanfic! As some of you might have noticed, you received some PMs from me in response to reviews/alert adds/follows. I hope that none of you felt that you were being spammed, but I like to show my appreciations for my readers. I promise this will not be an ongoing event, however, if you any of you wish to speak to me, I check my e-mail very regularly, and am always enthusiastic to respond to questions or just to talk! In fact, constructive criticism is also greatly appreciated. To my readers that did not sign in, or do not have an account: __**Angie, K, **__and__** TwistedWhisper**__; thank you for your reviews! Since you did not have a method of contact available, I could not thank you privately!._

_A quick heads up: There are a few characters that were not present in __True Blood__ but do appear in the __Southern Vampire Mystery Novels__ that do appear in my writing. Though the story is mostly based off of versions from __True Blood__'s characters, you will find that I have tweaked them to reflect some of the novels' versions. These characters' roles and motives WILL be explained in context to_ this_ story, and any preconceived ideas of them should be wiped from your minds._

_Also, on my first chapter, I forgot to post my disclaimer, so here it is. It will only happen once, though. I am horrible at remembering to apply it, so consider it a one shot deal from me! : _

**DISCLAIMER:** **I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TRUE BLOOD/ SOUTHERN VAMPIRE MYSTERY NOVELS. I JUST PLAY WITH THEM AND MAKE THEM DO MY BIDDING!**

_-Andi_

**Chapter Two:**

Sookie awoke with a cool arm draped over her waist. She delighted in the sensation of a man, albeit a vampire man, lying beside her in a bed that they had shared and enjoyed each others' bodies in. Sookie had never anticipated finding someone she could bare to have sex with, and the fact that she had, as well as the fact that he was _very talented_ at the art of sex, made her swell with joy.

The telepath had never allowed herself the fantasy that she would lose her virginity to a man that she loved. It was a defensive mindset that she had developed in her formative years, but even though she was not in love with Eric, she was extremely fond of him, and she hoped that he was just as fond of her as well.

Perhaps the fates had decided to take pity on her, and delivered a man that she _could_ love one day. Whatever it took, Sookie was completely devoted to embracing this opportunity, and protecting any future she may have with this immortal.

Snuggling into the cool, lifeless body beside her, Sookie let her mind wander over the promises he had made her. The idea of finally learning to read was exciting to the girl; who for so long was thought of to be too simple minded to bother teaching. She knew her numbers and letters, and she also recognized very small words. She was determined that she would not become a disappointing student.

_Gotta get out of here fast! Mack is going to be here soon!_

Sookie sat up quickly as a mind invaded her own. She saw flashes of a wiry built man in her mind, and he indeed looked scary.

_I gave him the password to the safe room like André instructed... I just hope no one else knows I was involved. That vampire said no one would know, but..._ Images of a childlike man popped into Sookie's head, images of whom she assumed was André. She listened breathlessly as the man's thoughts turned to his new job opportunity once his boss was dispatched, _Why did he want me to deliver food today, anyway? Maybe he was planning on human guests? Whatever, he won't be meeting them now, so no point in stocking the fridge_. Sookie's stomach growled at the mere idea of food. She could not remember when last she had eaten, but she was so accustomed to hunger pains nowadays that she ignored them dutifully and focused on the problem at hand.

Getting up from the bed, Sookie began rooting around the dark bedroom for any kind of weapon. Finding this useless without any light, she turned on the lamp on the bedside table to begin her search anew. Checking under the bed, she found a sword. She gaped momentarily, but got over her shock and dragged the sword out. She could barely raise the thing, and left it lying there in search of something lighter. Finding a dagger in the nightstand on Eric's side of the bed, she set it down on the bed and began to put on Eric's t-shirt from the night before.

Eric's employee had just left, and she heard him into his car before she lost him as he drove off. If he was gone, she was running out of time. The assassin would surely know where the safe room was and how to get there, and she needed to find a spot close by, but hidden, to ambush him.

"Don't worry, Eric. I'll keep ya safe." She kissed his frozen lips before picking the dagger back up and leaving the bedroom. She made sure to re-engage the locking mechanisms as she left. When she was in the kitchen, she quickly began scanning the room for a decent hiding spot. She could not risk hiding behind the closet door; reopening it would be too noisy.

Sookie flinched as she heard the front door opening. It was quiet, stealthy, but to someone wide awake and listening for it- completely obvious. Ducking around the corner to the dining room, Sookie pressed into the wall and waited silently. Why had his thoughts been silent as he approached? Clearing her mind, she listened intently with her ability. The most she could make out were snarls. This assassin was apparently supernatural. _What other fairytale things are there? Vampires, fairies... What else?_ Sookie saved her question for later. The supernatural was paused in the door, he seemed hesitant. Sookie clearly heard him focus on a heartbeat. _Of course! He knows someone else is here!_

Since a surprise attack was out of the question, Sookie decided her best new course of action was to present herself, and hopefully catch the assassin off guard. He was already heading for the pantry. She gasped when she realized her planning and hesitation had already allowed him to disengage the first lock.

Slipping back into the kitchen, balancing the hilt of the dagger into her ring and pinky fingers so that the blade hid behind her wrist and forearm of her left arm, Sookie stepped behind the assassin. "Can I help ya?" The contract killer spun around, looking agitated, but not overly surprised because he knew a human was in the house _somewhere_, "Are ya Eric's day man? He said someone would be by t' bring me food." She played dumb trying to lure him away from the door.

"Yeah." Mack grinned at her. Eric's day man, Douglas, had only had the password to the first door, and neither had anticipated a second code being needed. "I'm Douglas." Mack sauntered over to her.

Holding out her hand to shake his, she prepared herself for her chance to strike. A big man like him would need a quick death. He could do a lot of damage to her if he had time to fight back. _Throat it is_, "I'm Sookie." Mack took her hand, "Would you... Like to keep me company 'til Eric wakes up?" She asked huskily, tracing her fingertips up the length of his forearm, before reaching to cup his chin and bring him close enough to strike.

Mack's eyes flashed with an immediate heat that made Sookie shudder nervously, but he interpreted it as arousal. As he leaned down to capture her lips, Sookie struck, driving the dagger deep into the side of his neck so that it came out the other side. Mack's eyes widened in surprise, then pain registered, and Sookie tore the knife out and began stabbing everywhere that she could to ensure a quick death.

Grabbing her hair, Mack kept her from escaping, but the blood loss was already taking effect, the lack of available oxygen clouding his vision. Sookie could not get away from him fast enough to keep his bulky, body from crashing atop of her, pinning her to the hard linoleum floor. Pain flared next as his weight crushing down on the small woman cracked a few of her ribs.

Struggling to get free was moot, she was in too much pain, and not strong enough to move the body that bled all over her. She felt Mack's heart make its final thud, and listened as the breath in his lungs whistled out entirely.

Eric was safe. That was all she needed to keep telling herself until the painful resistance of her lungs finally slowed her breathing enough to send her into unconsciousness.

Eric awoke alone and was not happy about it. When he saw his broadsword lying on the floor, out of its usual resting place, he was furious. The little witch had been an assassin! Though, why she had not given him his final death, he was not sure. Obviously the visibility of the sword was a symbol that he had been that close to final death.

Pulling on nothing more than a pair of jeans, Eric stomped towards the door and unlocked it. It was once he was past the first door that the smell of spilt blood finally registered.

Confused now, Eric opened the second door and gawked at what lay before him. A man, dead in his kitchen, and a little blonde girl trapped beneath him. He could still hear her heart beating, and quickly pulled the Were off of her. She was completely covered in blood, and her eyes were closed as if she had fallen asleep. He could hear the grinding of bones as she took a full breath, and her eyes sprung open at the pain.

"Eric." She whimpered, clutching his forearm. "Yer day guy sold ya out. That guy came t' kill ya. Someone named André sent him." She told him in a breathless whisper. "I did the best I could-"

"Shh, Little One. I will make the pain go away." Eric soothed her hair back before raising her into a half upright position. Tearing open his wrist, he held it to her lips, "Drink quickly."

Sookie hesitated for only a moment before latching her mouth onto the wound and sucking deeply. Eric moaned, and she grabbed his arm tightly to keep him from escaping. The taste of his blood was ambrosia, and she never wanted to stop drinking. Eric had to pry his arm out of her hold when he decided that she had had enough, and she whimpered at the loss.

"Sleep, Little One, you will feel better when you awaken." He assured her. She promptly passed back out, and Eric took her up into his arms to get her washed up before disposing of the body. He could tell that she had been lying pinned under him for several hours already- five, six tops.

After getting his beautiful savior cleaned up and in a fresh t-shirt, Eric made quick work of dumping the body of the Were assassin. How did such a little girl inflict so much damage on a Supe? He would have to ask her what exactly happened when she was awake and healed.

When he returned, Eric found Sookie lying on his bed still, but her eyes were open and she was staring dazedly at the wall, "Sookie?"

She looked at him and smiled, "Ya already cleaned up, I woulda cleaned the kitchen fer ya."

Eric shook his head, "You killed someone today."

"He was gonna kill ya." She told him.

"Yes." Eric sat on the bed, "When I awoke and saw my sword on the floor, I thought that you were an assassin and had had a change of heart for whatever reason."

"Nah, I heard in yer day man's head that someone was gonna come and kill ya. He was snoopin' 'round the house lookin' fer expensive stuff t' sell before the killer came. I also heard the name André." Eric growled, "Do ya know him."

"I do."

"What was Mack?"

"Mack?"

"The killer. I couldn't hear his head too good, so I figured he was somethin' different like us. I was right, 'cause one of the thoughts I _did_ hear was him realizin' there was a heartbeat in the house." She explained.

"He was a Werewolf. How did you overpower him? You could not have snuck up on him." Eric was more than just a little curious.

"I came on t' him, and when he leaned in t' kiss me, I stabbed him in the neck and then pulled the knife out and just kept stabbin' 'til he fell on me." She shrugged.

"You are a marvel." Eric leaned in and kissed her forehead.

"So yer not mad?"

"Why would I be mad?" Eric was surprised, and completely taken aback by her calm attitude after murdering an assassin.

Sookie shrugged, "I didn't hafta kill him. He only had the password t' the first door."

"He would have found a way around that. You did very well, Sookie. I am very proud of you." Eric could feel through his new connection to her that Sookie's whole spirit soared at his approval. There was something else she was feeling that Eric could not begin to place. "What is it, Sookie? There is something else you want."

"I'm hungry." She admitted sheepishly, "Yer day man never brought any food 'cause ya wouldn't be havin' no guests since ya'd be dead. I haven't eaten... In a while actually." She blanched.

"Let us get dressed then, and I will take you out for some food. We will stop by a grocers and pick up more so you will be set for tomorrow.

"I don't wanna be a bother." She mumbled.

"Consider it my first payment in a _long line _of repayments to come. I owe my existence to you, Sookie." He kissed her lips. "Now, go upstairs to Pam's room and find something nice to wear." He kissed her again quickly before pulling out some clothes of his own.

Sookie hopped up from the bed, skipped out of the room and to the upstairs guest room. Eric had been correct last night. Pam's public apparel was much more acceptable in the young girl's mind, and she quickly picked out a powder blue blouse and flowing white skirt. Her panties, which were again lacy, and more than a bit risque, were white and enticing.

She met Eric at the front door and he smiled in approval at her choice in clothing, but then frowned, "You are not wearing a bra." He stated curiously.

"A what?"

"It is an undergarment that holds your breasts. You are not wearing one." He explained.

"Oh, well, I never used t' wear one anyway." Sookie shrugged, but he could tell that she was uncomfortable.

"You have large breasts. It would be best for you to wear one with that blouse." He laughed, "Come, I will help you." He took her hand and led her back to Pam's room. The white bra he found, which coincidentally matched her panties, was a bit snug on Sookie, but did its job. "After we eat, I will take you to the store to buy clothing more to your liking."

"But-"

"Do not resist me on this, Lover. For what you have done for me, prepare yourself to be spoiled." He grinned.

"Are ya still gonna teach me t' read?" She asked.

"Of course. I promised that I would. We will also work on your articulation." Eric smiled.

"Articu-what?" Sookie laughed with embarrassment.

"The way that you speak." Eric simplified, "I want you to fully pronounce your words. No more slurring. Your accent is delightful, but your execution is sloppy."

"How do ya mean?" Her brow knitted in confusion.

Eric could not resist a smile, "Say "yes" not "yeah". "No", not "Nah". "Your, not "Yer". Do you understand?"

Sookie nodded, "Yes, Eric." His smiled widened and he placed a kiss atop her head. Sookie cooed appreciatively before experiencing a slight fidget and asking, "Do we have to go to a restaurant?"

"It would be quicker for you to obtain a meal that way. Otherwise, we would need to buy something, come back here, and then go back out." He pointed out to her.

"Yeah, but... Yes, but you'll have to read the menu to me." Sookie was still embarrassed.

"That is fine." Eric smiled reassuringly, lacing her arm with his. "Now, shall we?"

"We shall." Sookie grinned up at him.

Sookie had been unconscious for her first ride in Eric's Corvette, so she enjoyed the ride immensely, not even flinching at his disregard for the speed limits. "Eric," she said after a minute, "can ya... you teach me how to drive?"

Eric laughed, "Of course, Little One." He took her hand in his, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. "Anything you want to learn, tell me, and I will teach you."

Sookie hesitated a moment, "Can you teach me to be exactly what you want?" She asked quietly.

Eric glanced at her, "Those lessons, my Lover, will have to wait a while, but I can _definitely_ teach you that." Bringing her hand to his lips, he kissed the inside of her wrist, "However, you are very much what I want already." Sookie blushed deeply at that, "By the time of the Great Revelation, you will be my perfect companion." Eric told her with certainty, "You are already rising to the challenge of what I expect of a mate."

Sookie beamed with pride, not knowing that Eric could feel her acceptance to this role, not knowing that he was happy about her docile attitude towards becoming _his_.

"You should know, Sookie, that being mine will give you little acceptance towards the vampire community. Vampires do not view humans as little more than cattle. Becoming mine would only..."

"Make me a prized cow?" Sookie finished.

"Yes." Eric nodded, "I would not treat you as such, for I would not trust a cow to guard me while I am at rest."

"Eric, do vampires love?" She asked next.

"I am not sure if that is the appropriate sentiment. I do not know if I could recognize it if I were to feel it." Eric admitted.

Sookie nodded as if she understood, "What other kinds of fairytale things are there?" She asked.

Eric laughed, "You may refer to them as "supes", Sookie, and there are a lot more than I could explain in a single night. Let me just say, that if you have heard of it, it probably exists on some level."

"Hmm," Sookie watched the scenery flash by as they came into downtown Shreveport. "Soups... 'Cause... there are so many different flavors of creatures?"

Eric belted out a thunderous laugh, "Not "soup" like a meal. "Supe", which is short for "supernatural"." He caught her confused look, "Supernatural means something otherworldly. A fairy, ghost or myself would be supernatural. You are supernatural."

"Oooooh... Sorry." Sookie mumbled as an flustere blush covered her cheeks.

"There is nothing to apologize for, Lover. Your vocabulary will broaden as you are exposed to more and more words." He encouraged.

"Thank you."

"It is not a problem. Promise me that if there is a word you do not know, you will ask me for its meaning." Sookie nodded in agreement, "Now... What would you like to eat?" Eric asked.

She shrugged noncommittally, "Anythin'. Whatever's closest." She laughed.

Eric pulled into an Italian restaurant's parking lot. As Sookie undid her seatbelt, Eric opened her door for her and held out his hand. She smiled shyly up at him, and took a deep breath. "Focus on my silence, Lover. I am sure that it will keep the voices quieter." She nodded and clung to him.

"It's easier if I'm touchin' you, that's how I focus it. If I'm touchin' someone, I can usually hear in on just _their_ thoughts. In yer- your- case, silence." She explained as they went into the restaurant.

True to his promise, Eric did not release her hand, opting to sit beside her to read her menu for her, touching the back of her neck, or holding the base of her spine while she ate. It was the first time Sookie ever felt normal in public. She was not responding to people's thoughts, or flinching at the less savory views of her. She just basked in the normalcy of going out on her first date.

After she was finished eating, full for the first time in months, Sookie was whisked off to the mall to shop for clothing. She modeled off clothing for Eric and blushed as he picked out lingerie for her that he approved of, and then, before leaving, he steered her into a jewelry store.

"What are we doin' here?" She asked curiously.

"I want to buy you a gift to express my deepest appreciation for your actions today." Eric told her, glancing at the cases. "You seem like a modest girl, and I want to give you a modest gift."

Eric's modest gift turned out to be a diamond solitaire on a delicate platinum chain. It was a 1.5 carat princess cut stone, and Sookie nearly fainted when the saleswoman rang it up and the total was $8,500.00 _before_ taxes. Eric did not even bat an eyelash as he nodded to the woman, took the necklace from its case and put it around Sookie's neck.

Though the price of the necklace was staggering in Sookie's world, she would have been more alarmed at Eric's less than impressed opinion of the piece of jewelry. However, the vampire could tell by her reaction to the cost that anything more would have probably turned the girl catatonic from disbelief.

"Beautiful." Eric smiled, leaning in to kiss her cheek. As he pulled away, Sookie heard the saleswoman think how cute they were together, though Sookie _did_ look a bit young. That was the nicest thought Sookie had heard from a stranger about herself.

"Eric, thank you." Sookie placed her hand over the diamond where it nestled in the little hollow between her clavicles. She could feel her heart fluttering beneath her palm.

As they left the mall, Sookie asked, "Did your blood heal me?"

"Yes, it did. Vampire blood has many effects on humans. In exchanging blood, I have formed a bond with you. I can feel your emotions, you will be drawn to me sexually, you may even have a need to please me."

"I already had those last two." Sookie giggled.

Eric smiled, "If I were to exchange blood with you two more times, we would be bonded. You would be able to feel me as well, and we could exchange our feelings from great distances. It would also give you protection from younger vampires, only much older ones being able to question my claim. It would, however, put you into the servitude of my Maker."

"Your Maker?" Sookie tilted her head curiously.

"The vampire that made me a vampire. His name is Godric. He lives in Dallas." Eric told her.

"Oh... Is Pam..."

"My Child. I am her Maker." Eric nodded.

"That's why you said you were so close. So, are you and Pam... Lovers?" Sookie asked, quelling the immediate tinge of jealousy.

"We have been sexual partners, but our emotional tie is one that has only been driven so deep by our years together, and the over all effects of my creating her. We are not lovers, but we have had sex on many occasions. She prefers women, though." Eric told her.

"Will I ever meet her?"

"Yes. Pam will be returning to Shreveport on a long term basis soon. I have a plan for a nightclub that she wants to get in on. Plus, I need a second in my role in our hierarchy." Eric explained.

"What's a hierarchy?" Sookie asked, dumbfounded.

"An organization that specifies ranks, in this case, amongst the vampires. In the United States, each state has a queen and or king, and then the state is divided into areas run by a Sheriff. All vampires residing in specific areas answer to the Sheriff, and he or she delegates orders from the king or queen and upholds their edicts. I am Sheriff of Area 5 in Louisiana." Eric explained.

"Woah. So, are you a big fish?" Sookie asked understanding just enough of his explanation to comprehend that part. There were too many words she did not know for her to even remember exactly which ones they were.

"Yes." Eric nodded amused at her, "I am beneath any other King or Queen, but I only owe fealty to Sophie-Ann, Queen of Louisiana, the Council, and the Living Pantheon. Any orders by out of state Kings or Queens can be disregarded, but it is bad form to deny any of them."

They were back in Eric's car, heading to Wal-Mart since it was getting late, and other grocery stores were closing. Eric grabbed a buggy when they went in, and he trapped Sookie between himself and the handle bar of the cart.

Once Sookie had picked out a fair amount of groceries, Eric went over to the health and hygiene section so she could pick out a toothbrush and other such necessities. After they checked out and were on their way home, Sookie allowed herself time to process everything that had happened that day. Though Eric had said this was all part of repaying her for what she had done for him that day, she could not help but want to express her gratitude for what he was doing for her.

Unbuckling her seatbelt, Sookie turned in her seat and faced Eric, her body contorting to give her right hand plenty of room to move. Since Eric was so tall, there was enough space between his lap and the steering wheel for Sookie to put her hand over his crotch. Eric emitted a growl that Sookie was uncertain if he was warning her to stop, or enjoying what she was doing. Apprehensively, she looked up into his eyes.

"Is this okay?" She asked tentatively, her hand rubbing slightly over the hardening bulge in his pants.

"Take your panties off and get on your knees while you do it, and it will be perfect." Eric told her. Sookie nodded and sat back in her seat, kicking off her shoes so that she did not risk tearing or scuffing the leather interior. Next, she slipped her panties down her legs and let them fall to the floorboard. When she was on her knees, she stayed upright long enough to remove his hardening cock from the confines of his jeans. "Flip your skirt up over your ass." Eric instructed, and she did so quickly, without hesitation. Eric was not sure if she just considered the fact that they were in a car a form of privacy, or that she was truly uninhibited towards where she displayed sexual affections. He hoped it was the latter. He would fuck her in front of a live television broadcast if she would let him.

As Sookie took him into her mouth, Eric released a low, growling sigh. His hand rubbed over the curve of her ass, squeezing and stroking her rear before giving it a playful swat. She moaned, pressing back into the strike, and Eric gave her another slap, a bit harder. She hummed happily around his member, bobbing her head up and down vigorously in reply to his attentions. Content with her response, Eric began tracing the slick gash between her thighs, surprised to find her so wet already. As he fingered her dripping pussy, Eric was pleased with how well she played this game. Sookie did not allow herself to get distracted by her own pleasure and forget to provide him with her attention. She managed to enjoy herself while still remaining on task.

Plunging a finger inside of her, Eric groaned at the tightness he found. True, she was tight anyway, but this position turned her pussy into a vice. "I am going to fuck you in this position when I get you home." Eric growled at her, "I am going to put you on your knees and take you from behind, Little One." He added another finger and she whimpered, "Do you want that?"

Pulling her mouth away from his cock, she replied with a gasp, "_More_!" He shoved a third finger inside of her and she screamed out in pained pleasure before putting her mouth back on him and returning to her task with vigilance. She cried out with every thrust of his fingers, her noises garbled by the obstruction between her lips.

Eric stopped at a red light and placed his left hand on Sookie's head, forcing her gently down onto his cock, further than she had dared to go by herself. Feeling her throat contract around his girth, Eric pulled her mouth back off of him and allowed her a moment to recollect herself and breathe. He did this several times before the light changed, all the while finger fucking his Sookie from behind.

"Good girl, Sookie. Take me as deep as you can." Eric released her hair when the light changed, and basked in the pleasure of how quickly she took to deep throating after he showed her the possibilities. As his fingers continued to plunder her heated depths, Eric felt the pull of an orgasm building, "Ah! Sookie, I am going to come, and you will swallow everything I give you," he gritted his teeth, "understand?"

Sookie nodded her head as she suckled and pumped his cock with her mouth and right hand. When she felt the rod begin to throb persistently between her lips, she braced herself for his spendings, slurping down every drop like he had demanded. "Such a good girl." Eric panted, though he did not need the breath.

Slipping his fingers from her pussy, he gave her ass another playful swat with his damp hand, "Get on your back and turn that little pussy towards me." Eric told her, and Sookie managed to awkwardly sit sideways in the seat and spread her legs for him. Pulling up her skirt once again, she bared her womanhood to him entirely. Eric's hand was on her immediately, his fingers plunging into her, his thumb circling her clit. Sookie moaned loudly as his hand provided her genitals with mind numbing stimulation.

"Yes, Eric!" She screamed as a third finger shoved its way back into her tight pussy, "Ah! I'm gonna come!" She squeezed her breasts through her blouse, arching her back to press harder against his hand. Eric could not keep himself from looking down at her every chance he got- enjoying the sight of her writhing on the leather seat, enjoying the attention of his hand.

The flashing of red and blue lights made Eric growl in annoyance. Not wanting to stop his playing, but doubting Sookie would approve of him continuing while he glamoured the cop, Eric began to pull his hand away. Sookie snatched his wrist, keeping his hand from leaving the space between her thighs, "Don't stop, I'm so close again!" She moaned as Eric began pulling off to the side of the road.

"A cop is pulling me over." Eric told her.

"Can't ya glamour him and keep doin'- ah! What yer doin'?" She moaned as his hand worked over her with a new intensity. Fuck! If he had to pull over anyway and she was willing, why not enjoy her right now?

"Sir, do you..." The cop went slack jawed as he was finally close enough to see the young woman writhing on the passenger's seat, her legs spread wide and a large hand pleasuring her.

Eric snapped the fingers of his unoccupied hand, catching the cop's attention, and his gaze. After the cop was glamoured and heading back to his cruiser, Eric turned towards Sookie, flipped her onto her stomach and instructed her to get on her knees and lean over the car door. She did as she was told, quickly, and was rewarded by Eric's cock burying deep inside of her from behind. With a pleasured scream, Sookie clung to the door, hugging it as Eric pounded into her tight hole. "Please, oh, please, make me come, oh please!" She cried, yelping when he gave her ass a sharp slap.

Eric howled as her pussy clamped down on him like a vice, drawing out his orgasm in a shattering conclusion. Sookie gasped as he collapsed on top of her, pressing her chest into the hard sheath of the window. She screamed in pleasure, her womanhood pulsing with another orgasm as he bit her throat savagely. Before she could collect herself again, Eric had sat back awkwardly in his seat with her in his lap, pumping her up and down on his still hardened member.

Bracing her hands behind them on the car door, Sookie started bouncing up and down on him by her own power, and freed Eric's hands to push her blouse and bra up and play with her breasts. He reveled in the feel of them jiggling in his hands, bouncing with her momentum as he pinched and tugged on her erect nipples.

"You are amazing, my Sookie." Eric moaned as he pressed his forehead between her shoulder blades, "A miracle." He pumped his hips beneath her, meeting her thrusts with an almighty collision. When they both climaxed again, Sookie collapsed back against him, gasping for breath, a tremble wracking her entire body.

Leaning awkwardly against the door, Eric held her to himself, still massaging her breasts as she shook in his lap. "I want to be yours, Eric." She murmured breathlessly in his sensitive ear.

"I want you to be mine, Sookie." Eric nuzzled the back of her neck, "I will make you mine." He leaned back slightly and bit into his wrist again that night, holding the bleeding wound to her lips, "Drink me in." Her pretty mouth enveloped the wound and sucked hard, enjoying the flavor of his ancient blood until he pulled it away. "One more, Sookie, and you are mine forever." He whispered into her ear.

"Forever might be long enough." She sighed sated.

**TBC**

_Thanks for reading chapter two! Please, remember to review!_

_-Andi_


	3. Chapter 3

Keep Me:

_A/N: Welcome, everyone, to chapte_r three of_Keep Me__! Before we begin; a reader asked me about Sookie's dialogue. Unfortunately, I did not take into consideration that my English as a second language readers would find the exaggeration of her accent an issue, or even those unfamiliar with a Southern accent or even American slang. In case anyone else was curious, I would just like to explain that Sookie's particularly thick accent is mostly to highlight her lack of an education. Not to say that these speech patterns mean anyone who uses them is uneducated. Sometimes we all feel a little lazy... Or drunk... Anyway- A brief "dialogue translation" for anyone who has been confused by Sookie's more commonly seen "accent words": _

_"Yer"= Your/You're  
" t' "= to  
"Ya"= You  
"Gonna"= Going to  
"Wanna"= Want to  
Keep in mind that one correction she does not adopt is the addition of her "g"s at the ends of words. i.e: Happenin' instead of Happening. She will continue to drop the "g" at the end of most words. "Gonna" and "Wanna" continue to appear occasionally, but ebb away as her education under Eric progresses. Also, in times of stress, Sookie's speech patterns occasionally return to the "Yer, ya, t'"s._

_I hope this cleared up any questions about Sookie's dialogue, and remember, I am always here to answer questions if you have any. In fact, questions are good, because even as the writer- I have a good chance of over looking details, too!_

_-Andi_

**Chapter Three:**

Sookie awoke the next afternoon, tender and sore from the love making marathon that continued after arriving home. She had only been with Eric a single day in this house, and it was already more of a home than she had had her entire life. Limping to the bathroom, Sookie filled the tub and let the hot water soothe away her aches and pains.

When she was clean, shaved, dry, and dressed, Sookie left Eric's room and went to the kitchen to eat. Eric had told her he would have a job for her tonight, after he had finished a long phone call in a language she did not recognize, and she was supposed to be dressed and ready to leave when he rose. The telepath was curious what kind of job her lover had in mind, but she did not contemplate it much. The odds of her figuring it out were too low for the telepath to even bother with a guess.

Sookie went over to one of the Wal-Mart bags that was still on the counter. She took a book from it that had a plastic wand attached to it by a wire. Blushing with embarrassment over how silly she felt using a child's toy to learn how to read, she settled in a stool at the kitchen counter. Eric had grabbed a few kids' books for her that would tell her the words she was unable to recognize. He told her that it would be good for her to work up to higher reading levels, and to start here when he was not there to fill in the voids of her vocabulary.

In all honesty, Sookie found the book boring, and had little interest that cows went "moo" and pigs went "oink". Still, the fact that she had to use the pen for more than a few words frustrated her, and she threw the book down impatiently. She liked Eric's way better, when he sat with her in his bed, letting her lie between his legs, between sexual adventures last night, with a book in her lap, as her fingers traced the words he was reading. She liked it very much when he read to her.

Missing him already, Sookie got up from her seat and unlocked the pathway to Eric's sleeping chamber. She curled up next to him in bed, taking his arm and wrapping it around herself. Before long, she was asleep again, awoken hours later to a cool mouth kissing her neck.

"Good evening, Lover." He heard her breathing change and knew that she had awoken.

"Evenin'." She turned in his arms and gazed at him, "I missed you."

He smiled but said nothing as he leaned in and captured her lips, "I am going to shower quickly, and then we will go."

"What are we doin'?" Sookie followed him into the bathroom, hopping up on the counter as he turned on the shower and stepped in.

"I hired a tracker to obtain Douglas for me. We are going to question him." Eric replied over the sound of the shower. "I will ask the questions, and you will listen in on his mind." He explained, shampooing his hair and rinsing it.

"Okay." She smiled brightly, excited to help him again.

"Then, I will take you to dinner, and we will come back here and work on your lessons." He said after a moment.

"Yay!" Sookie cheered, grinning widely when Eric emerged from the shower and started toweling off.

"There will be another vampire there tonight. So, I will need you to be a good girl and be on your best behavior." Eric explained.

"Okay." She grinned up at him, rejoicing when he leaned over to kiss her, his wet hair brushing her cheek, "Do ya-you want me to dry your hair for you?" She asked, picking up the hairdryer and a brush. Eric chuckled, but leaned down enough that she could reach his head. In a short matter of time, Eric's hair was dry and felt soft and light.

"Nicely done, Lover." He kissed her again, unable to ignore her pouty lips for long, and took her hand as he went back to the bedroom to dress. Sookie practically melted as she watched his lean, muscular body prowl around the room, slipping into a pair of tight black jeans and an equally dark and tight A-shirt. His bare arms, defined and appearing to be carved from stone, would have been marvelous wrapped, once more, around her body. With his shoes in hand, Sookie watched as Eric went over to the safe room control panel and began punching keys, "I have changed the pass codes." He proceeded to tell her the new entrance and arming numbers. Normally, he would have changed them the previous night, but he could not risk writing them down, and he did not wish to trap Sookie in his safe room all day, should she forget the new passcode so close to sleep, "Ready to go?" He asked after a pair of socks were on his feet and then covered by heavy, steel toe boots- in black, of course.

"Uh... Huh..." Sookie was practically drooling over her lover's appearance. She felt so dull in comparison.

Leaning in and kissing her lips, Eric mumbled against them, "Is this... doubt that I feel?" Eric asked, reading her emotions.

"You just look so good. No one will think I should be with you." She muttered back, nuzzling her face against his chest.

Grabbing her hips, Eric lifted her to sit atop his dresser, "You are gorgeous, Sookie." He kissed her neck, "Anyone would be thinking _I _am the lucky one." His mouth suckled there for a moment, "So beautiful, I cannot keep my lips off of your skin..."

"Vampires just might be jealous of feedin' rights. If I'm as tasty as you say I am." She giggled, capturing his exploring lips with her own. "We should get goin'." She said breathlessly pulling out of the kiss.

"Yes, we should." Eric agreed, lifting her back off of the dresser and holding her hand as they walked out to the car.

The drive to Eric's property was a quiet trip, and Sookie pondered what she would experience this night. She recognized the building Eric pulled up to- she had fallen asleep in its doorway only two nights ago.

"This is the location my night club will be at. I am already at work getting the renovations done, and the plumbing and electricity up to code." Eric explained, taking out a large ring of keys and barely paying attention to which key he singled out and unlocked the door with.

"What are you gonna name it?" Sookie asked.

"Fangtasia."

Sookie giggled, "Really?"

"Yes." He glanced at her, "Why? Do you not like it?"

"No! I think it's cool, I just... It seems a bit silly- I thought someone like you would try and make it sound dark and scary." She explained.

Eric chuckled, "The name is a pun, which I do find silly and entertaining. That is why I chose the name. Most vampires think that exposing ourselves like this is a ridiculous idea. I am opening Fangtasia for several reasons, but the _name, _other than being a pun, is also a mockery of the Great Reveal, because we will be attempting to make humans think that we are like them. We will have to downplay our malicious sides, and play the roles of the tortured immortals that human authors have portrayed us as." He laughed darkly, "With you at my side, I will display what being a vampire _really _is."

"How will you do that?"

"We will discuss it later. We have business to attend to right now. Herveaux retrieved a gift for me and awaits in the basement. Shall we go unwrap it?" Eric asked, that dark smile he obtained when he was doing "vampire stuff" was curling his lips.

Sookie followed Eric down the stairs into the basement and gasped when she saw a large man sitting on an unconscious man's back. "Northman." The large man nodded, and Sookie shied behind Eric, recognizing the snarly red mind of a Were.

"Herveaux." Eric nodded back, "How is your son?"

"Started seein' a shifter named Debbie." Herveaux did not sound pleased by this. "She's a real spitfire, and pain in the ass." Sookie saw him glancing around Eric's large body to get a fleeting look at her, "Your dinner fer tonight?"

Eric smirked, "My dinner _every_ night... And dessert."

"Haven't heard of you trainin' a human before, Northman." Herveaux was surprised. "She smells good though. Even a Were would drool over that one." He laughed lightly before glancing at his watch, "Well, Charlie should be here soon. I'll leave ya to it then." The Were headed towards the stairs and left- curious about the human girl that Eric Northman was so intense about.

Eric went over to a black, metal box that Sookie thought looked like a toolbox, and he took out a little vial. "Just smelling salts, Lover." Eric explained as he walked over to the man on the floor that Sookie decided must be Douglas. She had never actually seen him, so it was merely deductive reasoning that clued her in. After all, how many unconscious people would Eric take her to interview in one night?

Eric wafted the bottle in front of Douglas's nose, and the man jerked awake with a clinking of chains. It was then that Sookie noticed that the prisoner had a collar around his neck that was chained to the floor.

When Douglas saw Eric, he burst into tears, "Now, now, Douglas, you do not look happy to see your employer. Why could that be?" Eric feigned curiosity. "Maybe because you sold me out, breached my security, and offered my head to André?" He growled now.

"I-I didn't offer you to André! He came to me. He said if I got Mack the password to your safe room, he would turn me, and get me a position in the Queen's favor." He explained quickly.

Eric scowled. It was one thing to think he was betrayed for just money, but the fact that André had told Douglas about vampires and offered him immortality was more than just agitating, "André would have drained you and left you for dead. He would never want someone as disloyal as you near Sophie-Anne. Selling out someone like me was not a smart move. Did Sophie-Anne know anything about this?" Eric asked.

"No. André said she likes you too much to assassinate. Unless you were up to something, Sophie-Anne would never go along with an assassination attempt against you." Eric glanced at Sookie and she nodded that he was telling the truth.

"And what did you do with all of the things you stole from my home; since you thought I would not have any use for them as of last night?" Eric growled.

"They're still at my apartment." Douglas squawked, "I didn't have time to fence them."

"Is there anyone else at your apartment?" Douglas shook his head, and Sookie nodded that he was still telling the truth. "And what pack did Mack belong to? I am not sorry to say that he did not live long enough to let me in on that."

"The M-Monroe Motorcycle M-Mutts." Douglas stammered.

Sookie rolled her eyes, "That's a stupid name." She snorted, then covered her mouth, realizing she had said that aloud. Eric just shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips, though she could not see it. He could feel that she was concerned that he would be displeased with her outburst. However, now was not the time for him to be placating her insecurities.

"Was there anyone else in on this plot?" Eric asked, sounding like a businessman conducting an interview.

"No, Mack just needed the money and he was a Supe that wasn't from your area. André set it up, and I just gave the password to your safe door, and left the front door unlocked."

"And robbed me. You also endangered my woman's life, since she was with me when Mack tried to end my existence." Eric snarled.

Douglas looked at Sookie in surprise, "Yeah, I'm the reason he asked for food in the house." Sookie answered his unspoken question.

"Why did André hire an assassin?" Eric asked.

"I don't know." Douglas squeaked.

"Because he wants to put someone else in charge of Area 5." Sookie answered, "Someone he can control... Douglas doesn't know who it is though. There's somethin' valuable in this area and André wants to get his hands on it." Douglas's eyes were wide and frightened at Sookie's response.

"Any idea what this valuable thing is?" Eric asked.

"He doesn't know. He don't know nothin' else." Sookie replied confidently.

""He_**doesn't**_know_**anything**_else."" Eric corrected gently.

"He doesn't know anythin' else." She repeated him and Eric smiled. He found that the way she dropped her "g"s was too endearing to correct.

"Thank you, Sookie. Please, turn around and cover your ears." Eric told her. Sookie did as she was asked, but could still hear the sickening crackle of Eric snapping Douglas's neck. Apparently, Eric had not thought that she could clearly see through Douglas's eyes what her lover was doing. She shivered at the sight.

Eric placed his hand on Sookie's shoulder and began turning her around to face him. Lowering her hands from her ears, Sookie smiled timidly, "I-" He stopped and sighed, "Charles is here."

"Sheriff." Sookie turned to see a shorter man. He was rail thin and looked nimble. Charles's hair was a mahogany brown and was shaggy around his cheek bones. His eyes were dark brown, almost black, and his skin was pale, like all vampires.

Sookie immediately fell behind Eric, not comfortable around the strange vampire. Unlike with Eric, the absence of his thoughts was more frightening than soothing. Though Sookie hated her telepathy most of the time, she had to admit that it kept her out of as much trouble as it got her in. The scales eventually leveled out.

"Charles, I called you out here because you have a Child in the Queen's court." Eric explained, "What does Dana think of André?"

Charles growled, "My Child hates him, but she loves our queen and puts up with André's bullshit for her."

"I see. Do you think you could convince her to do a bit of espionage for me? This filth," Eric nudged Douglas's corpse with the toe of his boot, "allowed an assassin into my house under André's orders. From what I have gathered, André wants to put a younger, more easily managed vampire in my place to rule Area 5. I need to know who this vampire is, and what their mission will be."

Charles growled, but nodded, "I will contact Dana immediately."

"Take this with you." Eric jerked his head at Douglas's body. "I have plans tonight, that I would rather not delay."

Sookie could practically feel Charles breathing in the air, "Yes, if I had a meal like that waiting for me, I wouldn't want to waste any time, either. Do you have enough to share?" He asked, with a toothy grin.

"I do not share." Eric gave a warning growl, "She is mine."

Charles nodded, "I wouldn't share that either." He grinned again. "Yeah, I'll dump the body. Broken neck?"

"Yes."

"No problem." Eric unlocked Douglas's collar as Charles went to scoop him up. "You had her long?"

"A couple of days."

"She's training well. If I wasn't being taunted by that S'n'B, I'd think we were alone in here." Charles nodded approvingly, "Are you going to take her to the Late Autumn Moon Gala?"

"I was considering it." Eric crossed his arms over his chest, bored with the small talk, "We will see. It is not until December."

When Charles was gone, Sookie turned to Eric, "S'n'B?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Scent and Beat. The smell of your blood, and the sound of your heart. Some of the younger vampires enjoy abbreviating or transforming statements into slang. I find it an annoyance." Eric informed her. "You were very good while Charles was here." Eric kissed her forehead, "I am very proud of you." Sookie grinned up at him happily.

"What's the Late Autumn Moon Gala?" Sookie asked.

"It is a party that the Queen throws every year on the last full moon of the fall season. Sophie-Anne is particularly fond of Winter, more so than the rest of us, and she throws a party to celebrate the end of the Fall lunar cycle." Eric explained.

"Why do vampires like Winter?" Sookie swooned when Eric wrapped her arm around his and began leading her out of the basement.

"Shorter days, and longer nights." Eric answered simply.

"That makes sense." Sookie berated herself for not picking up on _that one_.

"It is all right, Little One. You were not trained to think in such ways. Soon, you will." He encouraged. "Did you try to read any of the books I bought for you?"

Sookie nodded, blushing a bit, "Yeah-yes, but I felt so stupid readin' them." She admitted, "Besides, they're just dumb anyway.

"You wish for more adult reading material?" Eric asked.

"No," Sookie sighed, "I needed that stupid pen thing too much." Pausing for a minute, Sookie asked him something that had been bothering her, "Eric, when is the Great Reveal?"

"About five years from now. Why?" Eric looked at her curiously as he lead her from the building.

"You said, last night, that by the time of the Great Reveal, I would be your perfect companion." She told him, "Will it really take me _that long_? I'll try really really hard, I swear." Sookie was afraid. Afraid that if she took so long to be what Eric wanted, that he would get annoyed with her, and he would no longer want her around.

Eric chuckled, "That is something you cannot control, Lover. The reason it will take so long, is because I want your body to mature and ripen. Right now, you have the body of a child, and I would like you to grow up a bit more so that your body is fully developed." Eric could hear the acceleration of Sookie's heartbeat even before he could acknowledge the emotion that was consuming her, "Lover? What is wrong, I do not know this emotion..." He admitted.

"I want to go home." She whispered quietly, letting go of Eric's arm and opening the passenger door herself.

Eric sat in the driver's seat beside her, "Did I say something to hurt your feelings, Sookie?" He asked gently.

"N-no." She gasped, her heart still pounding.

"Sookie, you are terrified right now. What did I say that has you so frightened?" That was one of the feelings he could pick up, but there was such an intense blend of dark emotions, that Eric could not sort through all of them. Conflict, _shame_, ANGER, **FEAR-**

"I wanna go home!" She hugged her arms around herself, turning to face her door and not look at him. Eric turned the car on and started driving back to his house, swimming in the toxic blend of dark sensations the entire journey. When he was parked in front of the garage back at his home, Eric watched Sookie practically jump out of the car and walk briskly to the front door. She waited for him to unlock the door and let her in. Her arms remained crossed over her chest as if she were trying to hold all of the raw wounds she wore closed.

Eric did not open the front door immediately. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her body and pulled Sookie into his chest. "Sookie, you need to tell me what is wrong." He said quietly.

"I don't wanna tell ya." She whispered so quietly, that Eric had to use his vampire senses to hear her.

"You really should." He encouraged.

"I can't." She whimpered, trembling in his arms.

"No, you _will not_." Eric pointed out.

"Please, don't make me talk 'bout it just yet. I promise, I won't freak out like that again, just don't make me tell ya yet." She sobbed.

"All right, shhh, it is all right, Sookie. Just do not cry." He rocked her from side to side awkwardly. He had not comforted anyone like this in a very long time. "I have you, Lover, do not cry." Eric ached as she trembled in his arms. He would do almost anything to take back whatever it was that he had done that made her respond like this. How had this girl transformed him so quickly? How long would the transformation last?

"I-I'm okay." She stammered, pulling away slightly, so that her damp face was no longer soaking his shirt, but she remained in his embrace and let it soothe her.

"Let us go inside. You can eat, and then I will read to you. Does that sound all right?" Eric asked, in that low, soothing timbre she loved.

"I'd like that." She nodded with a hiccup.

Following the plan, Eric held Sookie between his legs that evening, with a book at her chest. He read the lines as she traced them with her finger, and she even stuttered her way through a chapter with Eric's guidance. When he took over again, he could feel her fading fast into unconsciousness, and when her finger slipped from the page, he put the book down and curled her against his body.

Kissing her forehead, Eric left her to research on his computer. With a little help from a hacker he had on retainer, Eric ran a check on Sookie. Her uncommon name, since it was luckily her birth name and not a nickname, made it easy for his hacker to track down. Around 3 AM, Eric had as much official information on Sookie available to him that was possible at that moment.

**Sookie Marie Stackhouse**

**Date of Birth: May 24, 1983**

**SSN: 337-98-3765**

**Last Known Residence: 428 186S Bon Temps, LA**

**Birthplace: Bon Temps, LA**

**Mother: Michelle Stackhouse (Deceased August 5, 1991)**

**Father: Corbett Stackhouse (Deceased August 5, 1991)**

**Guardian: Bartlett Hale as of April 2, 1994**

**Sibling(s): Jason Corbett Stackhouse**

**Institutionalized at Central City Mental Health Center; New Orleans, LA on September 14, 1989- Committed by Parent(s) Corbett Stackhouse and Michelle Stackhouse**

**Released from Central City Mental Health Center; New Orleans, LA on August 7, 1991- Recovered by Guardian(s) Adele Stackhouse**

Eric growled at the short paper in his hand. This was nothing for him to go by. The only upside to the information was that he now knew Sookie's birthday and former address. He contemplated going to her last address, which he assumed was owned by Bartlett Hale, and getting information out of him.

Aside from the dates everything had occurred on, Sookie had told him everything he had on paper with exception of her social security number. The additional pages he had printed were a few notations on her psychiatric evaluations, but they were short and not very informative, considering psychiatrists do not believe telepathy is possible. Also, the documents were scans of the originals from the 80's, and the information was incomplete because updating from hard copy to computer backups were time consuming.

"Eric?" Eric was actually surprised to hear Sookie. He could not remember the last time someone had gotten this close, although she was still in the kitchen, without him noticing. Normally, he would have heard her get out of bed.

"Yes, Lover?" Eric called from his office. She came in, looking taken aback by the room. Sookie had changed into one of the negliges he had bought for her the night before. It was red with areas cut out and replaced with black lace. The chaise was short, barely covering her enticing sex, and tight, hugging her modest curves.

"It's nice in here." She commented, sitting in one of the leather chairs across from his desk, "Like somethin' you see in movies when they show a rich guy's study." She giggled.

"You seem to be in better spirits." Eric smiled at her.

"Yeah-Yes, until I woke up alone." She pouted playfully.

"Why are you awake?" Eric tilted his head curiously.

"I missed you." She shrugged, making him smile a bit wider. "What are you readin'?" She asked.

"I did a background check on you, Miss Stackhouse." Eric admitted.

She tensed up, "But I've told you everythin'..." She cast her eyes downward, "Okay, not everythin'."

"I was hoping to find something to help me refrain from giving you another lapse into depression." He explained somberly, "Unfortunately, the information I have is only just a slightly more detailed accounting of everything you have already told me." He sighed. "Useless."

Sookie was quiet for a long time before she spoke again, "After my parents died, my Gran got me out of the loony bin. She took me in and raised me. Jason-that's my brother- he didn't want anythin' to do with his crazy sister, and he went to live with my aunt and cousin before Gran could even bring me home.

"Then, when I was 11, my grandmother passed away, and I was sent to live with my Great Uncle Bartlett because my aunt didn't want me around Hadley- that's my cousin. She said havin' a disturbed child around _normal_ children was dangerous." Eric managed to suppress his growl and listen on,

"Uncle Bartlett was happy to have me. He was in a wheelchair from a back injury. Completely paralyzed from the waist down. The first month was... Okay. He just liked me t' sit in his lap a lot." Eric tensed so tightly that he felt the chair tremor beneath him in protest, "He wouldn't let me go t' school, and "home schooled" me instead. After a few months he started demandin' I walk 'round naked 'cause I was growin' too fast fer him t' spend money on so many new clothes. Then, when my body hair started growin' and my boobs started to really come in, he'd make me shave off all of my gross hair. He'd also make me duct tape my boobs down and wear really small t-shirts to hide the tape." Eric watched her silently, noting the glaze that had come over her face, the vacancy in her eyes, the way her accent thickened and devolved from all of her earlier hard work. He wanted to kill Bartlett Hale with more prejudice than he had slain any other creature.

"The worst though... He'd make me... Touch myself... _down there_... And he'd just watch. I can still see his face as he watched me do it." She shuddered, "That was the most sexual thing he ever done though. He never touched me down there. I think 'cause he knew I was already becomin' a woman. I'm just glad he wasn't in my life before that."

Eric was silent a moment, making sure she had told him everything she was going to before he spoke, "So, when I said that I wanted you to mature physically, you panicked because you have been trained to think that a child-like body is optimal?" Eric was curious.

Sookie shrugged, "I dunno... I mean, that's when I started gettin' worried, but I dunno if that's why. It's like... Somethin' came over me all of the sudden. I can't explain why I reacted like that."

"Come here, Sookie." Eric pushed his chair back away from his desk, and shoved his keyboard off to the side. When Sookie came to him, he sat her on his desk in front of himself. He did not want to place her in his lap just yet. He wanted to be able to meet her eyes unobstructed. "A girl is meant to become a woman." He said slowly, gently, "She is meant to mature physically and ripen and be enjoyed by another who has also grown up and become an adult. Vampires are unique, because we are surrounded by others who have been trapped in a constant physical state. Some of us appear extremely young, while others were much older when they came over. I want you to know that in my world you may see a vampire who looks no older than 13 with another who could be their father or grandfather. But remember that the one that appears 13 may in fact be _much_ older, maybe even ancient. My Maker appears no older than 15, yet he is often seen with much older appearing mortals and vampires."

"Will I ever meet Godric?" Sookie asked.

"Yes, I would very much like for you to meet him." Eric nodded, pleased that she had remembered the name of his Maker though he had only mentioned him by name once to her. "Pam as well."

Sookie smiled, "I'd like that." Her eyes shied away then, "So, you're not embarrassed by me? Or grossed out by what I told you?" She asked quietly.

"Sookie, all that your story made me feel was anger at the man who did that to you. I would very much like to kill him." Eric told her truthfully before pausing a moment, "You know that, originally I brought you into my home as a meal, yes?" Sookie nodded evenly, "Did you ever truly consider why I let you stay?"

"'Cause... 'Cause... 'Cause you wanna use my ability?" She guessed.

Eric shook his head, "No, Lover. I had agreed to let you stay before then, remember?" Sookie nodded, "I let you stay because of how you fought those men. You were not just some delicious smelling creature, you were a warrior. I knew that from the moment I saw you fight. You will never back down if it means protecting yourself, and you will endure anything so long as it is better than the alternative. It took strength to endure that life with Hale, it took honor to live on the street without resorting to prostitution, and it took courage to face down a man three times your strength and size to protect me. I cannot say that I have met a woman like you in a very long time. I _can_ say that I am privileged to know you, and to share your life and experiences." Sookie sniffled back tears, pushing them from beneath her lower eyelashes as she managed a mere nod at his declaration.

"I am not happy at all with how your past treated you, but it has somehow made you the woman you are today. For that I am happy, and grateful... Grateful that it did not break you." Eric continued, "Your grandmother seemed to be the only pleasantness from your childhood, and I am sorry that you did not get to enjoy your time with her longer. She seems to be the one that instilled the traits I find so beautiful about you, though."

"She was the only one that came to visit me at the mental hospital." Sookie smiled sadly, forgetting her tears, "My parents didn't want anythin' to do with me, and my brother was afraid of me, I guess. Gran would come by every month." Sookie remembered how much she enjoyed those visits. Even Gran's head was a nice place to be. Adele Stackhouse had loved her despite what she was, and Sookie had never heard a bad thought about herself flitter through Gran's mind. "She was the only warmth I got as a kid. She was the only one that didn't think bad things about me, and she wasn't afraid of me..."

"Sookie, I am not afraid of you. You are a delight to have around, and I am very glad that you fell asleep in front of one of my buildings that night." He smiled at her, pushing her hair behind her ears. Eric gazed at his lover thoughtfully, "Perhaps I need to help you learn how to interact with people." He thought aloud, "Together, maybe you can learn to control your telepathy and not be listening to others' thoughts constantly. That would certainly help you socialize better, and some friends would definitely give you a solid support system when I am at rest." He leaned in and planted a chaste kiss on her pouty lips, "You have been neglected and forced to listen to horrible, untrue things about yourself all of your life, Lover. Let us change that, shall we?"

Sookie bit her lower lip, looking as the perfect picture of the youth that she was. She looked so innocent and trusting when she did that, "Can you teach me to read first? I'd be really embarrassed if I made friends, and then they found out I couldn't read."

"Yes, Little One, I will teach you all of the basics before sending you out into the world. You will learn to read and write, mathematics, science and history. Also, we will make it a habit to go out into public places and work on your telepathy. Do not expect results right away. My experience with telepathy is very limited, and our lessons will be trial and error for a while. I will also teach you about music, sports and movies so that you will have a good grasp on social communications."

Sookie giggled, "I sound like a project."

"You are, my Lover. And I am very excited to have something new to do. And very delighted that it involves spending so much time with a lovely, young woman." He kissed her lips again, still gently. "Would you like to begin some lessons tonight, or are you ready to go back to sleep?" He asked.

"I want to have sex." She stated firmly, making Eric laugh. "Is that okay?"

Eric replied by crushing his lips to hers and kissing the breath out of her. Sookie wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him as he pulled her by her hips, positioning her bottom against the edge of the desk. As her rear slid against the wooden surface, it peeled the short hem of her nightie up and uncovered her hairless sex. Eric gazed at it curiously. He knew that women shaving off all of their pubic hair was "in style", but it still felt alien for Eric to look at.

"You do not have to do this anymore." Eric said softly, running his hand over the smooth flesh of her womanhood.

"I don't feel comfortable havin' body hair." Sookie admitted. The month she had spent on the street had been uncomfortable for several reasons, one of which was her inability to remove excess body hair from herself.

Eric found this to be a peculiar adaptation she had made in her time living with her abusive great uncle. She had probably never experienced having body hair, and the concept was undoubtedly foreign and disgusting to her. He had rather enjoyed her the previous two evenings when she was still unshaven all over due to her lack of a razor at the time. It had been a while since he had enjoyed a woman that had not even shaven her legs.

"All right, Lover, only, I did not want you thinking it was expected of you anymore." He told her gently. Pam was more partial to smooth, shaved women, but she did not have as many centuries of the opposite influencing her tastes. Although, she did take a while to adjust to the dramatic change, she embraced it far more easily than her Maker. Eric could not deny that it was more than a little pleasant running his hands over smooth, flawless skin, but he still could not shake the displaced feeling of it.

Sookie moaned, releasing her arms from her lover's neck to lie back against the cool surface of his desk. She rocked her hips against his motionless hand, and whimpered with need, "Please, Eric..." She sighed, tilting her pelvis at him invitingly.

Exploring her exposed pussy, Eric glided his finger between her already moistening folds. He had to admit, it was a pleasant sight to see his finger in direct contact with her luscious skin. "Take off your nightgown, Lover. Let me see all of you." Sookie arched her back to get the chamise a bit higher up before lifting her shoulders and shirking it off to the side. Eric reveled at the sight of her lying naked, sprawled across the width of his desk. "You are so beautiful." He leaned down to kiss her inner thigh, earning a sigh of approval and want. With his blunt teeth, he bit the spot he had kissed and earned a little yelp of excitement from his lover's lips. Turning his head, he did the same thing to the opposite thigh, and she bucked her hips. Every single touch he gave her increased the security she felt, reassuring Sookie that she was still wanted and desired. Eric was all too happy to give her that assurance.

With his dexterous tongue, Eric made a cool, wet path up to her nether lips before encasing her clit with his teeth and giving it a gentle tug that made Sookie cry out and thrust with her entire body against his mouth. She was such a responsive lover, and the fact that she came from a sexually abusive background made Eric curious. Many women who had suffered childhood sexual abuse took a long time to enjoy sex, but Sookie did not seem to suffer any hinderances.

Using his mouth and hands, Eric brought her to a powerful release before he stood up and began to undo his pants. He was pleasantly surprised when Sookie rose up and undid them for him, taking his great length into her hand and pumping him slowly. Eric growled heatedly as she ran her thumb over the tip, using his pre-cum to glide the tip of her thumb more freely against his flesh. Taking a fistful of her beautiful blonde hair into his hand, Eric tugged it gently until Sookie was sliding off of the desk and onto her knees in front of him. Eric sat back in his chair and let her mouth explore the length of his cock while he enjoyed her adventure.

"Ah, use your tongue a little more, Sookie." Eric instructed, fighting the urge to thrust into the inviting hot moisture of her mouth and throat. She followed his cue quickly and made him fight all the harder to not push her head down and force himself deeper, "Take as much of me in as possible." He choked out.

Sookie pulled her mouth off of him and began stroking while she caught her breath, preparing herself for her newest task. Steeling herself for the chore ahead of her, Sookie took a deep breath before enveloping the head of his cock with her lips and sliding down as far as she could. She felt her throat constrict with a gagging reflex, but she forced herself to relax and go a bit farther. Eric held her head in place, rocking it ever so gently so that her tongue and teeth slid and scraped against his sensitive flesh. Sookie reared back against his hand and released him, gasping for air before she dove back down and took him as deep as she possibly could again. This time, without Eric's silent guidance, Sookie bobbed and suckled and flickered her tongue along his length as she alternated between shallow and deep caresses.

"So good." Eric moaned, his fingers still tangled in her hair, though he did nothing to alter her technique.

Eric was happy with how she was taking to deep throating. He had given her an opportunity to try it in the car the night before, and she was just getting better and better at it the more he had her do it.

"Get up here, Sookie." Eric pulled her mouth gently away from his hard length, wanting to come in her sweet pussy rather than between her gorgeous lips. Sookie stumbled up from the floor quickly and crawled into Eric's lap. Wrapping an arm around her waist, Eric helped her straddle him in the chair. Though the desk chair was large enough to hold Eric's massive body, it did not have enough space for Sookie's knees to brace on either side of his hips, so with a little maneuvering, he had her knees in the crease of his elbows, draping over the arms of the chair. Sookie wriggled impatiently as Eric took ahold of his cock and positioned it against her moist center. She shimmied again, trying to capture the taunting rod, but he traced the head of it between the folds of her gash, teasing her.

Sookie moaned and mewled, losing her patience when she felt the support of his forearms give out, and she was swiftly impaled upon the entire length of his swollen member. She shrieked in pained pleasure as he abruptly filled her, writhing in the agonizing euphoria. The girl was unsure if she was in pain or experiencing the sweetest sensation she had ever been privy to.

"ERIC!" She arched, feeling him deep inside of her, throbbing and flexing in a way that made her eyes blur as he hit a spot deep inside of her. "OH!" She began to rock against him insistently, knowing that her entire existence revolved around milking his glorious length for all it was worth. Her sole purpose in life was to derive pleasure from him, and give him pleasure in return at that moment. Sookie's breathing was coming in harsh pants and whimpers and sometimes screams as she wriggled and shook in his lap.

Snaking his arms out from beneath her legs, Eric reached over them and grabbed two handfuls of her beautiful ass to raise her up and down on his cock. Tears were falling from Sookie's eyes as she sobbed with pleasure when he raised her and then dropped her hard against him again while he thrust upwards. It was a dizzying collision that left Sookie half insane, but she continued to rock and thrust against him regardless of her incoherency. Despite the loss of all of her other faculties, Sookie knew that her life depended on finishing this ride. If she did not come soon, she would die. If she lost the chance to feel his seed shooting deep inside of her, she would never survive.

"Eric, GOD!" She screamed, "I need to come, make me come." She chanted bracing her hands on his shoulders to achieve enough leverage to move herself even harder against him. Then, she felt one of his hands leave her rear and come forward to play with the bundle of nerves between her legs. Only a stroke or two was what it took to send Sookie careening over the edge of oblivion in a screaming display.

As she came, Eric buried his fangs in her throat, drinking deeply from her as he came with a roar that was muffled against her flesh.

Sookie was conscious of the fact that she was still trembling a long time after they had both found release. She was shaking so intensely that she could hear the chair groaning in protest. "I can't move..." Sookie whispered unevenly into Eric's ear. He chuckled at her admission before rising with her securely in his arms.

Carrying his lover back to his safe room, Eric put her under the blankets and then curled up beside her. "You are so lovely right now, Little One." Eric bit her shoulder with his blunt teeth.

Sookie smiled tiredly, "Eric?"

"Yes, Lover?"

"Please, don't hurt me." She yawned snuggling against his chest, eyes closing, her breath slowing.

"Why would I do such a thing?" Eric soothed back her tangled, post-sex hair.

"Everyone else has." She mumbled, and Eric realized that she only spoke these fears aloud because she was nearly unconscious, and her body was well sated.

"I don't 'spect nothin' from ya in return," she yawned again, "but I'm fallin' in love with ya. Ya don't gotta love me back, but jus' let me love ya, 'kay?" She asked sweetly, body boneless as she drifted away.

"Love me all you like." Eric whispered quietly, and once he heard her breathing even out he continued, "Because I think I am beginning to realize what love is now... I believe I am falling in love with you, too."

**TBC**

_As always- Remember to review! Reviews are my life's blood!- Andi_


	4. Chapter 4

Keep Me:

****_A/N: Welcome, everyone, to the fourth chapter of __Keep Me__! I am excited to have another chapter for you, and hope that you are just excited to read it! As always, thank you, everyone, who chose to review. Your words, even the two or three that you take the time to write are encouraging, and greatly appreciated! Now, on with the story!_

_-Andi_

**Chapter Four:**

Awakening in the complete darkness of Eric's safe room, Sookie stumbled around blindly, uncoordinated from her third sex marathon in as many nights. Even when they did not go for hours at a time, they still took a toll on the young telepath's inexperienced body.

Sookie found the bathroom quickly, getting more and more used to the new daily routine, and started another bath like she had the previous morning. They seemed to really help her aching body after her nights with Eric.

After her bath, Sookie went to the kitchen to eat. Seeing that the weather was rather pleasant, Sookie made up a plate of fruit and took it outside to enjoy the fresh air and the crisp sunny day of mid-spring. She realized as she sat in the backyard that she had never even seen this part of his land. That was partly because Eric had not given her the codes to arm and disarm the exterior security system until last night. She giggled at the realization and flopped onto the grass, getting a strange gratification at the cool grass against her skin and the warm sun beating its golden rays down upon her.

Eric's property seemed to stretch out forever. She could not be sure if he owned all of the land she was seeing, but she had a feeling that he did. There were no other houses that she could see, and Sookie giggled at the thought of removing all of her clothes and lying in the sun. The telepath had always enjoyed the feel of the sun on her skin, the way it felt warm and tingling all over her exposed flesh and seemed to embrace her.

Back when she was in the mental hospital, Sookie used to sit in the box of light from her window, letting the warmth cover her body and console her. At night, when the sedatives of the other patients had kicked in, and dampened down their aggressive brains, Sookie would sit in that same spot and talk to the moon until she could no longer see it from her vantage point. She did not care about anyone hearing her talking, presumably, to herself. She was, after all, in a mental hospital; what more could they do to her for being abnormal? The moon listened to her, and the sun held her when she was too overwhelmed with the oppressive and frightening thoughts of her fellow inmates. They were modest comforts, but they sustained her sanity better than any other amenities the hospital offered.

Sprawling out in the grass, Sookie closed her eyes and stared at the red haze that filtered through her eyelids. The warmth of the sun took the slight chill from the early spring afternoon, and she just enjoyed the sensation of the sun against her face.

In this solar embrace, Sookie began to think. Why were they here? Though she had found nothing in Douglas's head last night to make her think that his address had been shared with anyone other than Mack, did that mean that this André character lacked the information? What if Mack had shared the location? What if Douglas had not thought about it while he was in fear of what Eric would do to him? There was a annoyingly persistent buzz of unease thrumming through the girl as she contemplated this possibility. After all, even Sookie had the pragmatism to know: never be where an enemy knows you are. How many times had Sookie taken refuge in some dark hideaway in Bartlett's house? How many times did she slip away out of a window to take solace in the dying branches of the old living oak tree on the property, contemplating her escape and the possibilities of recapture? Sookie took a moment to remember that old oak, and the strength and courage that seemed to course throughout her body when she lay across a thick, mossy limb. That old oak was the only part of that house she would ever remember fondly...

After what felt like an hour of puzzling out Eric's lack of action on this front, Sookie crawled back up from the ground, grabbed her partially eaten serving of fruits, and went back in the house to practice her reading with one of the stupid books Eric had gotten her. They were not stupid because Eric thought she needed them, they were stupid because they were just boring to read. Still, Sookie was adamant about learning to read. She was happy to find that when she picked up her book from yesterday, she did not need the pen at all to get through it. Surprised, but suspicious of herself, she picked up another and zipped through it as well. Was this normal? Did reading come naturally like this? Or did knowing her ABC's and a few small words give her an advantage?

"Studying, Lover?" Eric appeared beside her, kissing her crown.

"I read four all by myself!" She told him proudly, knowing now that she had not just somehow memorized the first book.

"Very good!" Eric gave her another kiss to show his support. "Which ones did you read?" He asked. Sookie laid out the four books, and Eric nodded with pride, "I am very happy for you, Sookie." He hugged her. After a moment, he pulled away and looked into the girl's eyes, "Lover, I have felt that you are worried about something since before I could leave my chamber. What are you concerned about?" He asked.

Sighing, Sookie thought hard about how she wanted to phrase her question, "Eric, why are we still in this house?" He raised his eyebrows at the question, and she could see the wheels turning behind those blue eyes, "I mean, André sent someone to kill you. Doesn't that mean he pro'lly-"

"_**Probably**_" He corrected.

"Doesn't that mean that he probably knows where you live? That he could send someone else as soon as he knows his first try didn't work?" She finished.

Eric let out a conflicted noise before answering, "You are correct. We are in danger as long as we reside here. The changing of the security codes only offers so much protection," he agreed. "However, my secondary residences are not equipped to sustain your living habits. They do not have toilets or electricity. They are literally holes in the wall where I am safe from sunlight. There is a pipe that hangs from the wall and supplies cold water if I should need to cleanse myself. They are no place for you."

Sookie processed this for a moment, "I don't want to sound like a busybody, but... Aren't you rich?"

"I am not just rich, I am extremely wealthy." Eric smirked.

"Then why only the one house?" She pressed.

Eric laughed, "I have _many_ houses, but they are scattered all about the country, as well as the world. If you are curious why I only have one real house in this localized area, it is because I am not one to partake in extravagances such as those. I have my indulgences, such as my Corvette, and even the bathtub you seem to enjoy so much. However, in situations such as the one we find ourselves in now, my preparation to have a safe point to reside until new accommodations could be properly secure was my emergency plan. My belief was, that if this property were compromised, I would need to work under the assumption that all of my locations had been compromised as well. The hideouts are not owned by me, or anyone for that matter. They are places in random, public locations."

"So," Sookie began slowly, only barely understanding his explanation with so many unknown words, "we're only still here 'cause you never thought you'd have to bring a human along with you if your safe house was ever found out?"

"That is correct."

"So, you're only keepin' yourself out in the open like this 'cause of me?" She looked terrified and Eric could feel it.

"Sookie," he smiled reassuringly, "I have taken precautions."

"But," Sookie was shaking her head as she fought back tears, "you could get killed! You'd be really dead and gone, and it would be because of me!" She swiped away a traitor tear. "Eric, go! Get out of here! I can take care of myself 'til we can be together again. I promise I'll stay outta trouble! Go be safe and find me again when-"

"Sookie," Eric wrapped his cool arms around her, wishing that they were Bonded and that she could feel the pride and overwhelming adoration he felt for her at that moment, "at this point, I could no more leave you behind, than I could plunge a piece of wood through my heart." He leaned down and kissed her lips gently, "I promise you that I am already in the process of finding us new accommodations. But you will continue to keep me safe during the day until that time, yes?"

The girl nodded with so much determination and tears that it moved Eric's unbeating heart, "Always!" She choked, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.

With a smile, Eric asked, "What would you like to do this evening?"

Sookie was thoughtful for a moment as she continued to hold onto him, "Can we go to the mall or somewhere to work on my telepathy?" She asked, taking Eric by surprise, "I want to be more useful to you, and be able to protect you better." She admitted after a moment, "I won't be very useful if we have to stay away from a bunch of places, or only go places that I can hold onto you the whole time." She pointed out, "And I want to have friends like you said I could... Gran was the closest person I had to a friend."

"All right, Sookie. Go get ready while I shower and dress." He kissed her forehead before leaving to use the shower.

Soon, they were in Eric's corvette and pulling onto the highway, "Where are we goin'?" Sookie asked.

"There is a nice restaurant just outside of Shreveport that I believe you will enjoy. It will put us in close enough proximity to others that we can work with your ability, but it will not be so crowded that it will overwhelm you. That is what I am hoping, at least." He admitted, not entirely sure how her gift worked.

"Okay." She smiled, exuding trust into his bond with her.

Sookie looked around timidly at the other restaurant patrons. She was still blissfully basking in the silence of Eric's head, but she knew it would not last much longer. Any moment now, Eric would take his hand from hers, and the barrier would be gone from the contact he was providing.

"Sookie, close your eyes." Eric said softly, and she did so without hesitation. "I want you to think of my silence as a physical manifestation."

"Mani-what?" Her eyes opened to give him a gaze of confusion.

"A physical form." He restated, using a smaller word, "Give it a body, make it into something visible. Like an almost clear shield around you." He instructed, choosing his words more carefully.

Sookie nodded and closed her eyes again. She visualized a bubble surrounding her, and it was strange because it seemed to mute the physical sounds around her as well; the vocalized chatter, the clinking of glasses and silverware. All of it seemed to dampen in sound and the silence was all consuming.

When Sookie's breathing evened out, Eric slipped his hand from her grasp and watched her. Her face showed no sign that she had been assaulted by thoughts when he took his hand away. "Keep visualizing that shield around you, make sure that it is complete, that there are no holes." Sookie nodded slowly, and it was fascinating to watch her eyes moving beneath their covers, "Is your shield secure?" She nodded again, "Open your eyes slowly now, and look to me." Sookie did as he said and kept her eyes trained on his, "Without closing your eyes, check your shield. Is it still secure?" He asked and she nodded after a second of staring off into nothingness, "There is a man sitting behind me. He is sitting with a red headed woman. I want you to look at him, and open your shield around him. Let his thoughts in. Only his." He told her. Sookie began to tremble as she forced a puncture through her shield. The entire thing seemed to pop when she tried to bring someone else into that shield, and the tidal waves of others' thoughts came washing over her like a cold shower. Eric clamped his hand over Sookie's wrist to bring the silence back to her. "Shh, Sookie. Do not react." He told her, seeing the tense lines about her eyes like an individual dealing with a developing migraine, "Take deep breaths and breathe through it." He told her.

They went through this exercise several times until Sookie was too fatigued, and Eric just let his hand remain in hers while she ate.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled around a bite of chicken.

"There is nothing to apologize for, my Lover." Eric smiled reassuringly at her, "Just like your reading, you will get better at this." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly, "Do not be upset. You will get there. There is no rush." He assured.

"I just don't wanna be slowin' ya down." Sookie whispered quietly.

Eric chuckled, "You are not slowing me down at all, Lover. I have all of the time in the world." He noticed that she had finished her meal, "Would you like dessert?" She shook her head, her expression still somber, "What would you like to do now?" She shrugged and Eric sighed. He knew it would take time for her to know her own mind again. He also figured that she was so disconnected with being out in the world, that she was unaware of what it had to offer. "Ah," he remembered something he had meant to do the other night, "Sookie, would you mind very much if we went to the drugstore?" She shook her head, curiosity making her glance at him wondrously, "I meant to buy some vitamins for you the other night, but, due to the circumstances, never got to it." He explained.

"Vitamins? What for?" She asked as he paid the bill for her food and his unconsumed drink.

While they were walking towards the door, he explained, "An iron supplement as well as B-12 vitamins. Since I hope to be drinking from you regularly, they would help you stay healthy and replenish what you lose in the sustenance you give me. You should also be drinking a lot of water." He told her.

"Oh!" Sookie was happy to be enlightened, "Okay."

They were driving to a nearby Walgreens when Sookie glanced at a dance club curiously, "Would you like to go there?" He asked, catching her intrigued expression.

"What is it?" She asked as they drove past, and she could feel the vibrations from the music inside even through the car as they drove.

"A dance club. Do you like to dance?" He asked.

Sookie shrugged, "I don't know."

"After the drug store, I will take you in."

"Don't you need to be 21 or somethin'?" She asked.

"18 for that particular club, but if I must, I will glamour the bouncer to get you inside. I doubt that it will come to that, though." He smiled.

"Okay." She seemed apprehensive.

"I will hold onto you the whole time. You will not need to focus on your shield that way." He assured. "You have done enough mental exercising for one night."

She beamed at him happily as they pulled into the Walgreens parking lot. They were in and out quickly, and then doubling back to the club.

Eric held her hand as they stood in the queue outside the dance club, running his thumb over the back of her hand gently. Sookie leaned into him happily as they scooted up the line. Eric decided that if Sookie enjoyed dancing, he would have to get to know the owner so that he would not have to wait in line when he took her here again. He had his suspicions that she would enjoy it, her foot was already tapping to the beat that pulsed out of the club.

Sookie focused her attention on Eric as they approached the bouncer, and the man seemed to take Eric's apparent age into consideration over Sookie's, and waved them both in after Eric handed him a fold of bills for the cover charge and a tip. Once they were inside, Sookie let out a deep sigh of relief as the pounding of the music washed over her. Eric smiled as he felt her body immediately begin moving to the music; yes, she would love dancing.

"Isn't the music really loud to you?" Sookie screamed.

Eric shook his head, "High pitches are more annoying than this type of thing. When music is being played loudly, it becomes more like a background noise. I can choose what I listen to by focusing on specific tones."

"So, you can control the volume you hear things in dependin' on what you want to listen to more?" Sookie stopped shouting to see if he could hear her over the music.

"Something like that." He smiled, the arm at her waist guiding her onto the dance floor.

Sookie took to dancing like a fish to water. Her body gyrated and swung to the beat in an almost hypnotic fashion. Eric could watch her body move like that all night. Although, he would have preferred her to be naked and on top of him as she did so.

It was an hour of nonstop dancing before Sookie pulled Eric off of the floor, fanning herself, "I have to use the bathroom." She told him, looking apprehensive to release his hand.

"I will be close by. You will be just fine for a few minutes." Eric reassured her, using his great height as an advantage in hunting down the restrooms. He lead Sookie towards the back of the club to the ladies' room and kissed her forehead before releasing her. He frowned as Sookie flinched, took a deep breath and collected her shields. She seemed a bit dazed by the exertion, but went into the washroom quietly.

Sookie did her business quickly and went to wash her hands when a girl with black hair that was florescent green at the tips came stumbling in. "Heeeeey!" She surprised Sookie with a hug, "Blessed Be, Sister!" She was grinning from ear to ear.

Sookie leaned back weakly against the counter. The physical contact this stranger made had punctured the telepath's weak shield and now an onslaught of thoughts was making her dizzy.

"Don't get too many of us in these parts." The girl with black and green hair leaned towards the mirror as she fixed her deep red lipstick before smoothing out the smudges of her eyeliner.

"Too many of what?" Sookie asked nervously, managing to regain some modicum of awareness.

"Witches." The other girl turned from the mirror to lean against the counter and look Sookie over, "You must be something else! I could feel you before I even came in here! It was like my witch-ey radar went off before my hand was against the door. I'm Angie, by the way."

"Sookie," Sookie held out her hand, nervous about more skin contact breaking through her poorly reconstructed shields, but not wanting to be impolite with her first pleasant human encounter in years, "and I'm not a witch."

Angie scoffed, "Sure you are! Your Third Eye chakra is glowing so brightly, it looks like you were exposed to radiation."

Sookie leaned away apprehensively, "I don't know what yer talkin' 'bout."

Angie's demeanor changed dramatically, "You don't know?" She took on a maternal tone, "Sweetheart, you've got all the energies of a witch, actually, stronger than most I've seen."

"My boyfriend's waitin' fer me outside. I need t' go." Sookie mumbled uncomfortably, trying to sidestep the witch.

"Wait, Sugar," Angie got in front of the telepath, "don't be scared. I didn't mean to scare you! Do you have any gifts? I'm a healer." She explained.

"I need t' leave." Sookie's heart rate accelerated, and the door burst open as Eric stormed in.

"Woah!" Angie gasped at the vampire's sudden appearance, "A vamp? You with a vamp, Sugar?" She eyed Sookie with awe.

Eric growled. What was with random women spotting him as a vampire all of the sudden?

"She's a witch." Sookie whispered to her lover quickly.

"Is she a danger?" Eric asked.

"No, she's just completely amazed. She's never been this close to a vampire before." Sookie told him.

"Telepathy!?" Angie shrieked, "Holy shit!" She was impressed. Angie noted how the other girl relaxed when the vampire took her hand, "Oh, it's really intense when someone touches you, isn't it? It must suck being in here with all these heads. And what's a vampire doing hanging with a witch anyway? You guys think we're all batty." Angie looked at Eric.

"Did you just say that my lover is a witch?" Eric asked.

"She's got the makings for it. Super powerful, too; if she focused it." Angie nodded.

"Eric, I wanna go home." Sookie was falling back behind her lover.

"I don't mean to upset you, Sweetheart." Angie's eyes softened as she gazed at Sookie.

"She is uncomfortable around people right now." Eric told the witch.

"I'm sure her gift would have that effect on anyone." Angie sighed sympathetically. "My gift was a lot more subtle, so it was easier for me to blend in."

Sookie remained quiet behind Eric, "Sookie, Lover, does she make you this uncomfortable?" She shook her head against Eric's back, "Why are you so scared right now then?"

"There are a buncha vampires in here." Sookie whimpered.

"You cannot hear vampires." Eric was confused, noticing that her speech patterns regressed once again when she was nervous.

"No, but... I noticed when I let go of yer hand outside the bathroom that yer silence takes up a spot inside all of the chatter. It's like a blank spot. There are a lot of bodies in here, but not all of them are makin' noise... The red snarls are in here, too, so there are at least two Weres." She was trembling. Sookie was afraid of Supes that were not her Eric, reasonably so, considering a Were had almost killed her, and Charles had made it more than clear that he wanted to eat her; only his respect for Eric preventing it. Herveaux had not seemed too bad, but he was still unfamiliar and made cause for apprehension.

"Wow, she's good." Angie grinned.

"She is still learning. I am doing my best to train her, but our lessons are restricted to evenings." Eric explained.

"Oh... Well, I don't know any telepaths, but one of my Sisters is an empath." Angie explained.

"Oh?"

"What's that?" Sookie was confused.

"She can feel other people's emotions. I've got a touch of it that helps with my healing, but its no where near as strong as Stella's." Angie explained. "Listen, Sugar, I know I kinda came on strong, and probably scared the hell out of you, but if you need anything give me a call." Angie took out an old receipt from her purse and her black eyeliner. Writing out her phone number, she handed it to Sookie, who took it carefully. "Careful with it 'til you get home and can write it down on something less smudge-y." She laughed. "My Sisters and I would be really excited to help you out. Your gift needs to be nurtured." Eric eyed Angie carefully. "If you're really nervous about it, we can all meet somewhere public, and you can bring your boy-... Er... Vampire. I don't know, do you guys use titles like "boyfriend" and stuff?"

Eric refrained from smirking, "I am her lover, and she is Mine."

"Okay, you lovers come meet us some time." Angie grinned and turned towards the door.

"A-Angie?" Sookie stammered.

"Yeah, Sweetheart?" She turned around to smile again.

"I... You should know." She took a deep breath, not sure how to say anything she wanted to explain. She was embarrassed, scared, and weary of the humiliation that would follow. "I'm really stupid."

Angie laughed, "I doubt that, Sugar."

Eric looked at his lover in shock, "Why would you say something like that, Sookie?"

"Just," Sookie gasped around tears, "let yer friends know that I don't know how t' read, and... and t' try 'n' not laugh at me-"

"Oh, Sweetheart," Angie came back and hugged Sookie, "no one's gonna laugh at you." She gave the blonde a tight squeeze. "You just give me a call some time, and we'll all get together and hang out. We won't even talk about witch stuff until we all get to know each other." She assured.

"Okay..." Sookie replied timidly, surprised when Eric took Angie's number from her hand and glanced at it before shoving it into his pocket.

"Ack! It'll be all smudged out now." Angie frowned.

"I have it memorized." Eric sighed. Another girl came into the bathroom, but saw Eric, squealed and ran back out, "I suppose my presence in here has worn out its welcome."

Sookie giggled, "Can we go home now?" She asked quietly.

"Yes, Lover. It has been a long evening for you- training, dancing, and making new friends." He smiled adoringly at her, and it made Angie's heart race to see such a thing.

"Yeah it is." Sookie nodded to Angie's unasked question and the girl laughed her way around a blush.

"Yes, what is?" Eric was confused.

"She caught one of my stray thoughts." Angie shook her head, blushing shyly, "We'll talk more about that when your lover-vampire is out of earshot." She laughed.

"There is one more thing before we depart..." Eric said quietly, drawing Angie's attention back to himself.

"Yeah?" Her jaw slackened immediately when Eric caught her eyes with his own.

"You will find yourself unable to speak of Sookie's gift with anyone but her or myself. When asked about her gift all you will remember is her strong aura." He spoke in an even tone as he instilled a glamour to keep Sookie's telepathy a secret without the risk of Sookie re-exposing it by accident. He wanted for Sookie to have a confidant, but he could not risk that Angie would not intentionally or accidentally put his lover in danger. They had enough threat directed at them without Angie's help.

The couple parted from the witch while she was still staring blankly at the bathroom wall and left the club to head home. "Did you really have to glamour her like that?" Sookie asked a bit sadly.

"I did. I will not risk your gift becoming common knowledge. I have found that humans tend to let secrets slip too easily." He explained.

Sookie contemplated this for a moment before a curiosity struck her, "Eric... Why didn't André glamour Douglas? He was the closest link to him, right? So, why didn't André cover his tracks in case Mack failed to kill you? Why leave Douglas around and risk you findin' out that André was the one who got Douglas to give you up?"

"That," Eric began slowly, "is one of the other reasons I have delayed in leaving our house. What if André left Douglas's memories intact for the very reason, that in the event I was not assassinated, I would flee to one of my shelters. The only security they offer is the fact that they are completely off the grid." Smiling a bit, he added, "There is one other measure of safety I have decided to take, that I forgot to mention... Since you have confirmed that Sophie-Anne had nothing to do with the assassination attempt, I will be sending her a notice about the attempt on my existence, and ask that she assign an investigator to look into it."

"Will the investigator keep ya safe?" Sookie asked hopefully.

Eric snorted, "Hardly. Sophie-Anne will more than likely have André assign the investigator, and he will most definitely choose the individual he intended to replace me with. It will be an excuse to send someone into the area to snoop around like André wanted in the first place."

"How's that another safety measure!?" Sookie asked desperately.

The vampire laughed, "I will have my own tail on the investigator, and since the primary function of the investigator's duties will be unknown, I can steal whatever it is André is after without being reprimanded for taking an item set for procurement." Eric told her. "Also, if I get a tail on the investigator early, I will have a warning of any future attempts on my existence. There is also the possibility that, with the investigator in the area, able to look around freely, André may no longer see a necessity for killing me." Eric patted her knee gently and decided to change the topic, "Now, no more worries about André. Are you excited about talking to Angie again soon?"

"Is it really okay if I call her?" Sookie asked.

"I would be delighted to see you making friends." Eric nodded. "As I said, I am hoping for you to have others to be around during the day so you do not spend so much time alone. I did like the witch's offer to allow me to be present when you meet all of them. She was very considerate towards your nervousness with new people. I was not overly fond of her touching you so openly, but I do know that many humans have that trait of remaining oblivious to personal space."

"Yeah-Yes, she was definitely touchy-feely." Sookie giggled, beginning to automatically correct herself once more.

Eric smiled at Sookie's lightheartedness. He was glad to see her calming back down, "You should call your witch tomorrow while I am at rest. Maybe the two of you can set up an evening in the near future to get together." He suggested.

"I'd like that." Sookie nodded.

As they pulled into the driveway of Eric's home, Sookie grinned as Eric did not even open her door, but scooped her up over it. She giggled as he carried her into the house and into their bedroom. As he dropped her onto the bed, Sookie sighed appreciatively as he began pulling her clothes off. When she was completely naked, Eric took her hands into his and placed them into the crooks of her knees.

"Hold your legs open wide for me, Lover." He instructed with a wicked grin that made Sookie tremble. She tugged her knees back and far apart as she shook in anticipation. Sookie blinked her eyes shut tightly as Eric's finger traced her slick folds, lying down on his side to stroke her lazily as he watched. Sookie whimpered, tilting her hips at his slow ministration. "Patience, Lover. You will get there." He promised her, gliding his thumb around her clit now while his middle finger shallowly penetrated her. It seemed to go on forever, and Sookie let out a cry of frustration that lead Eric to start pounding his hand against her relentlessly. A surprised yelp came from the girl's mouth as her lover suddenly complied, making her come so abruptly that she pulled back on her knees while her back arched, and Eric could hear her vertebrae popping at the harsh stretch. Eric chuckled at the sound of the joints cracking, "See, Lover? You got there just fine." He grinned as she moaned and beckoned him upward.

Eric's grin widened as he slid up the length of her body, catching the crease of her knees in the hook of his elbows. In the same movement, Eric drove his cock deep into her still clenching channel. "Ah!" She screamed as she felt him stretch her insides, "Eric! So good!" She gripped his shoulders as he pounded away mercilessly.

"You are so tight, Lover. Do you feel me stretching you? Can you feel your little pussy squeezing me?" Eric growled into the girl's ear, making her groan and whimper.

"I lo-love when ya... when ya t-talk like that!" She stammered between gasps of breath. Eric growled again, nipping at her throat with his blunt teeth, "Do it!" She cried, holding his head to her throat. Without hesitation, Eric bore his fangs and drove them deep into her neck, sucking contentedly on her intoxicating blood as his lover shrieked with her climax and pulled him over the edge with her using those splendid internal muscles.

Eric withdrew is fangs and lapped at the wound he had left when he heard Sookie's heart slow down. When he opened his eyes, hers were closed, and her breathing was evened out. "Sookie, Lover?" He stroked her cheek gently causing her eyelids to flutter, "Are you all right?" He asked gently.

Sookie moaned softly, but did not rouse. Eric realized he had probably taken a little too much blood from her over the past three evenings, and her body was finally being struck with fatigue from the loss on this fourth consecutive night. Kissing her gently, Eric wished she could read well enough so that he could leave her a letter to remember to take her vitamins, which he realized that they had left in the car. Deciding that it was better to start her on them the next night rather than risk her taking too many by accident, Eric stayed where he was in bed.

Tucking her body up against his own, Eric held his incapacitated lover for a while before leaving to get some work done, including sending an e-mail to the Vampire Queen of Louisiana. When he came back just before dawn, he kissed her gently before succumbing to the sun.

**_TBC_**

_I hope that you enjoyed, and will return next Tuesday for Chapter Five! As always, please remember to review!_

_-Andi_


	5. Chapter 5

****Keep Me

_A/N: Merry Christmas, Everyone! I debated about posting a chapter today since I wanted everyone to be focused on their families and loved ones, but I __did__ promise in last week's A/N that there would be a chapter posted on Tuesday. Therefore, for those of you who finished celebrating early, or those who sadly could not make it home for the holidays- I give you chapter five as my gift! I hope that you enjoy it, although it is not Christmas time in my __True Blood__ universe, and will sadly not be festive. Happy holidays for those who do not partake in Christmas, and I hope you all have a Happy New Year next week!_

_-Andi_

**Chapter Five:**

Sookie woke up with a horrible pain in her abdomen. Reaching down, she cupped her nether region and whimpered at the thick, slimy moisture she found there. It had been a while since her body went through a period, and she was ashamed that it had returned with a vengeance.

Crawling off of the bed, Sookie held herself as she examined the linens. She was grateful that she had awoken before she could ruin Eric's sheets. Sookie took that comfort with her to the bathroom where she locked the bathroom door and crawled into the tub and laid there.

Wanting the pain to go away, Sookie plugged the drain and began running the water as hot as she could stand until it was high enough to cover her abdomen. Once the heat began to soothe the pain, Sookie turned off the faucet and flopped back against the tub. In a matter of moments, she was unconscious again and in much less discomfort.

Eric rose to the smell of blood. His pupils dilated at the aroma of his lover bleeding that sweet, heady blood of hers. It was different from what he recalled, but the delicate taste in the air made him sure that it was Sookie. Reaching for her spot on the bed, he found it very cold, and this caused him to frown. It less than a second for Eric to register all of this before he realized that somewhere in this house, Sookie was bleeding.

Rising from the bed swiftly, Eric scented the air to find his injured woman. She had not gone far.

Going to the bathroom door, Eric went to open it, but it was locked. Growling, Eric gripped the knob hard and pushed the door open by forcing the latch past the strike- too impatient to reach her rather than find a penny and open the lock that way. What he found was confusing and savory at the same time. Lying in a tub of tinged water was Sookie, her long blonde hair dipping into the rust tinted water in lovely ringlets. Her hands and feet dangled awkwardly over the sides of the tub, preventing them from becoming pruned, though making her position comical to look at. Kneeling down, Eric put his finger in the water and felt that it had gone tepid. "Lover?" He listened to her heartbeat, which was sedated from sleep, but not distressed before dipping his hand in the water and touching her womanhood- it came back thick with blood. "Ah." He realized why the aroma of her blood was so different, and the vampire was grateful that she was not injured somehow. In that moment, he was in wonderment over how he fretted over this young woman. There was a definite distinction to menstrual blood, one Eric was more than capable of identifying. Yet, he had jumped to the conclusion that she was injured well before acknowledging that it was something as everyday as her cycle.

"Sookie," Eric patted her cheek with his dry hand and her eyelids fluttered open. He smiled at her, but she recoiled and tried to get away. "Sookie!"

"I'm sorry!" She choked, curling away from his touch and turning her body from him.

"Sookie," Eric wrapped his arms around her, dragging her against his body and out of the tub, "Calm now, Little One." He held her tighter as she struggled, "Calm. You are all right. There is nothing to be sorry about." He soothed, realizing belatedly that this might be another reaction from her years of abuse. "I do not mind what your body is doing." He said quietly, "You do not need to be ashamed."

Sookie continued her shaking for a few more moments before she turned in his embrace, "Eric?" She sniffled.

"Yes, Lover?" Eric nuzzled her crown.

"I'm really tired." She whispered, still feeling exhausted.

"I know, Little One. I have been taking too much of your blood, and now that you are menstruating, I am afraid that your iron levels are extremely low. You are probably anemic." He explained, unstopping the drain and lifting her out of the bathtub the rest of the way. "We also did not get you any feminine products for this time of the month while we were out."

"Feminine products?" Sookie was confused.

"Tampons, sanitary napkins, those sorts of things. Also, I believe there are medicines that help with the discomfort." He told her.

"I don't understand." She was getting frustrated, "What do I need napkins for?"

"No, dear one, they are hygienic products for women to use during their menstrual cycle so that they do not bleed onto their clothing."

"Oh yeah... I haven't used anythin' like that in a long time. My uncle always locked me in the bathroom when I got my period. I would eat in there and sleep in the tub until I was done." She told him, and Eric growled in frustration.

"I am going to kill him." He said in all seriousness, "Would you hate me very much if I were to kill this Bartlett Hale?" Eric asked.

Sookie was quiet for a long moment before she replied, "You really shouldn't... But I wouldn't hate you. I could never hate you."

Kissing her forehead, Eric gazed at her eyes for a moment, "Take a shower while I run out for the things that you need." He told her.

"Okay." Sookie smiled shyly at his thoughtfulness.

Eric took off at vampire speed and decided not to bother with his car. It would be faster to fly, and Sookie needed him for reassurance. Dressing quickly, he was out the door and in the air in a matter of seconds. Flying over Shreveport, he descended on to the roof of the Walgreens that they had gone to the night before. Checking for security cameras, he jumped off of the roof and made his way around the building to the door.

Finding the correct aisle, Eric scanned the shelves and for the first time in a long time- felt slightly overwhelmed. A woman who had come down the aisle giggled knowingly at his blank look, "Wife or girlfriend?" She patted his arm comfortingly and Eric could feel her slight recoil at the coolness of his skin. Of course she could not have guessed what he was, and recovered quickly- ignoring his oddity.

"Girlfriend." Eric decided that would be the most appropriate term for humans in his description of his relationship with Sookie.

"Hmm, well if you don't know her preferences..." The woman reached around about to grab a box and a tightly bound plastic package, "Those are the ones my daughter likes. She says they are very comfortable."

Eric decided the woman must be passed her child bearing days since she was referring to her daughter's preferences rather than her own. That, or she was too embarrassed to admit they were the products she herself preferred. "Do you know the medicine that women take for their menstrual pains?" He asked hopefully, not wanting to flounder about and waste time that Sookie needed him for.

"Yes, of course. Does she get severe cramps?" The woman asked, leading him towards the drug section.

"I woke up and found her asleep in the tub. Would that qualify as severe?" Eric asked.

"Oh, my yes!" The woman eyed him sympathetically as if that gesture would extend to his girlfriend and comfort her. "Here, she'd want this one if she's in that much pain." She handed him a box of Excedrin Menstrual Complete. "Also, you might want to get her some dark chocolate. It should improve her mood if she's feeling down. And, if you're any good at it, rubbing her lower back will help, too."

Eric was especially surprised by that last two bits of information as he thanked her politely and headed to the checkout lane. On the way, he grabbed a bar of Godiva's dark chocolate. The male cashier at the register blanched sympathetically at Eric as he rang up the order, and the vampire wondered if all men received such reactions when their women needed such things.

Once he was outside, Eric walked out of range of security cameras before taking to the sky again. Glancing at his watch, Eric was happy to see he had only been gone 15 minutes, and he hoped that Sookie was still in the shower.

Landing on the front lawn, Eric went inside and straight to their bathroom to find Sookie still in the shower. What was odd was that she was lying on the floor of the shower, the hot spray hitting her directly in the abdomen as her eyes stared unblinking through the steam.

"Sookie?" Eric knelt down, pushing the door open a bit. Her head tilted slowly towards him, eyes blinking dazedly as she tried to smile apologetically at him. "Did you wash yourself at all?"

"I was too tired to stand." She admitted exhaustedly. Smiling at her, Eric peeled off his clothing before picking her up by her waist and stepping into the shower with her.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Sookie closed her eyes and let Eric support most of her weight as he washed her body and hair. When she was washed and dried, Eric picked up the plastic bag from the store from the floor, and set it down on the counter as well as plopping Sookie next to the sink, too,

After a few awkward and more than uncomfortable moments, Eric had gone through the procedures of using the feminine products and had the matter squared away.

"This should help with the discomfort." He pulled the Excedrin out of the box and gave her the appropriate dose, "And a woman suggested that you have some of this." He plopped the chocolate bar in her hand next, making Sookie giggle. "Now, get comfortable in bed, and I am going to get you some food and your vitamins from the car." He told her.

Sookie nodded tiredly, limping her way to the bedroom, clutching her candy bar as she went. Eric smiled sympathetically at her back before he threw on the pants he had worn before the shower and went to do what he had said he would. When the vampire returned with a simple sandwich, glass of water, and all of her vitamins, Sookie was curled up in their bed, wearing one of his t-shirts as she nibbled on the chocolate disinterestedly.

"Here you go, Little One." Eric handed her the plate and water as he went about opening the bottles of vitamins and supplements. When he had one of each pill, he handed them to her and watched her pop them obediently. "I have to keep my lover healthy." He nuzzled the side of her head affectionately, "Are the drugs helping at all, or does it take longer?" Eric decided when she shook her head that they were not working, that it just had not been enough time yet. "Eat up, Little One." He smiled at her, taking her nibbled chocolate and setting it on the nightstand while she ate something a bit more substantial. "I am going to leave these in the bathroom, Sookie. Make sure you take one of each when you wake up tomorrow." He left for a moment and grabbed the box of tampons and the pads he had bought, putting them under the counter in the cabinet.

"I'm sorry about tonight." Sookie mumbled from bed.

"There is nothing to be sorry for." Eric assured her as he came back in from the bathroom, "Oh," he leaned over to his nightstand and grabbed a pen and notepad, "here is your witch's number." He wrote it out and tore it off the pad and put it on the opposite nightstand on her side of the bed. "You may be feeling better tomorrow and get a chance to call her."

Sookie nodded, "I didn't think my period would come back so quickly." She thought aloud as she ate her sandwich.

"What do you mean?" It was not uncommon knowledge to him that women went through this on a monthly basis. "Is it early?"

"Don't know about early, but it's back." She shook her head, "A few months ago it stopped comin'."

"Why?" Eric was confused, wondering if Sookie had suffered an illness that his blood had reversed.

"Dunno... I remember hearin' in one of the nurse's heads at the hospital that she was worried 'bout a girl in one of the other wings who had stopped gettin' hers and must've stopped eatin' again. They had to put her on a feedin' tube."

"So you believe your malnourishment while living on the streets stopped your cycle?" Eric pieced together.

"Nah-No, Bartlett started feedin' me a lot less and put locks on the pantry and fridge 'cause he didn't want my boobs gettin' any bigger." She explained matter-of-factly.

Eric did not think he could hate Hale any more than he had started to the other night, but twice now this evening, that hate had escalated dramatically. The fact that Sookie spoke so simply about that particular abuse just increased his furry all the more. With everything Hale had made his great niece endure, starvation barely phased her as an abuse.

"Perhaps my blood a few nights ago repaired more than just the damage to your ribs." Eric reasoned, keeping his tone even despite his anger.

Sookie nodded agreeably to his theory, reaching for her chocolate bar again. Eric smiled, losing a bit of his anger, and handed it to her, "A woman I ran into at the store told me you might like that."

She blushed sheepishly, "It's really good. It tastes different from anythin' I've ever had."

"It is dark chocolate."

"Oh, I've only ever had Hershey bars. I guess they're different." Sookie shrugged.

"Yes, they are normally milk chocolate."

"What's the difference?"

"The percentage of cocoa."

"Why would a vampire know that?" She giggled.

"Over the course of a few centuries, one tends to notice things, even if they are inconsequential to them. Knowing such things has helped me blend in with humans over the years." He explained, gently rolling her onto her stomach once she had set down her candy bar again.

"So, when the Great Reveal happens, are you not gonna need to notice so much pointless stuff?" Her voice mumbled into the mattress as Eric's hands pressed firmly into her lower back, making Sookie moan with relief.

"Possibly, but it is still a good idea to keep up on such things. It makes it easier to communicate with others when you do not need to keep asking questions. Plus, being well rounded in knowledge reflects on one's own education and understanding of the world. Detachment in such small areas is unnerving to others."

"I knew I had a lot to learn, but I didn't realize how much." Sookie sighed dejectedly before giving another moan of relief as Eric's hands melted away the pain.

"Once we get the big things out of the way, I am sure that you will pick up on the little things quickly." He stopped his ministrations when Sookie lay bonelessly beneath him, and then rolled her back onto her side so that he could see her face.

Sookie let out a contented exhale as she snuggled her head into Eric's chest. "Are you goin' to feed from me tonight?" She asked.

"No, Little One, I am not. You have lost enough blood to me the last few nights, and your tiny body needs time to recover. Also, your cycle will have depleted your iron. That coupled with feeding me has turned you a little anemic. However, if the idea does not make you squeamish, I may wish to feed between your legs tomorrow night..." He whispered into her hair.

Sookie flushed a little at the thought, but mostly felt great anticipation. "I wouldn't mind."

"I am glad. I am sure that your flavor will be a little more robust, and not just sweet." He said thoughtfully, "I suggest that you use the sanitary napkins tomorrow." He explained.

"Okay." She nodded. "I think I remember using those a couple of times... I got my first one when I lived with Gran, and I think that's what I used then. Only, I just had a couple of them before Gran had her stroke and I went to live with Bartlett."

"He would do that to you from the very beginning?" Eric asked and Sookie nodded, "Perhaps it would be best if you did not share any more information on how that man treated you for a while." She gave him a curious look, "I will need to be level headed when I kill him, and if I hear another word about how he treated you, I may just leave this instant and murder him in a bloody and gruesome way."

If the idea were not so frightening, Sookie might have giggled at Eric's confession. The reason she did not was because she knew him to be entirely serious; as well as entirely capable of doing such a thing. Though part of the young woman knew that Bartlett could never come near her again, that she was forever safe from him, a darker part still wanted him wiped from the earth. No matter that he could never hurt her or anyone else ever again, she still wanted him to die. That part of her was what frightened her more than Eric's plot for murder. Knowing that she was capable of ending a man's life with a simple request scared her. Realizing that she wanted to make that request is what terrified her.

"What an interesting emotion you are experiencing. I have tasted fear in many flavors, but never this one." Eric played with a strand of hair that framed Sookie's face, "What is this feeling, Sookie?"

She was quiet for a long moment, trying to figure out the best way to describe this fear. It was another minute before she quietly asked, "How bad is it that I can so easily ask you to kill Bartlett? And how much worse is it that part of me really wants to ask you to do it?" She whispered, "I know that killin' people is bad, especially when it's not in self defense... Bartlett can't never hurt me 'gain, but I still want ya t' murder him." She finished with a sob.

"Sookie," Eric sighed gently, "this is not the same circumstances that most people encounter. Hale is not just a man to you. He is your boogyman, your childhood monster. Every child wishes to banish that monster, to destroy it... Only your monster is not one of imagination, and it did not go away when you grew up. The fact that he actually exists is what haunts you, and your need to destroy your boogyman is one that never seemed possible. But it is possible, and it is reasonable. Anyone who would do to a child what has been done to you deserves to suffer, and I will _gladly_ make him suffer. I will destroy your childhood monster and free you of him like you deserve." Burrowing against his chest, Sookie rubbed away the tears that were beginning to fall. The liquid evidence of her pain trickled down the expanse of his bear chest while his voice tried to sooth away the emotional pain. "I will never think that you are evil or a monster." He assured her, "You will always be the most beautiful woman I will know, and the only woman I could love." Sookie smiled against his chest as the tears continued to flow.

After a few minutes of holding her, Eric decided to bring her back from the dark conversations, "Sookie," Eric turned on his side to gaze at her, "if you could do anything, learn anything, what would you want?" He asked curiously.

The telepath was quiet for a moment as the last of her sniffles abated and she shrugged, "I don't know... I guess... I guess I'd want to go back to Bon Temps... Show everyone what I could've been. I never liked bein' seen as such an idiot. I want to be able to walk through town and show them all that I'm smart and..."

"And?"

"Wanted." She finished quietly, "That's what I really want. To be wanted."

"I want you." Eric murmured, pushing her hair from her face repeatedly, "In so many ways."

"For my blood and body and telepathy." Sookie mumbled back, but he could feel that, for her, it was enough. To have acceptance, even for such superficial or one sided reasons- it was enough for her. He _had_ to reassure her that his need for her ran so much deeper than such things.

Eric shook his head, "And your fire. You have this pride and self-respect... It has been buried and broken, but is entirely capable of being revived. When I saw you fighting like a demon against those two men, I knew you were strong and brave. When you told me you were not a runaway- that you were a survivor- it caught my attention." Stroking her hair, Eric gazed at her contemplatively, "Lover, one day, I will take you back to Bon Temps, and you will show that miserable little town exactly what it had neglected."

Sookie raised her eyes to his and smiled softly, "I could live without that, as long as I knew you were proud of me. As long as I know you want me, that's all I'll ever need. More than learnin' to read and write, more than learnin' to drive and becomin' smart. You bein' proud of me for learnin' those things means more too me than actually learnin' them."

"You give me a large responsibility, my Lover. Your happiness revolves solely on my perception of you." He stated.

"I'll be happy with the knowledge I get out of this, but it wouldn't mean nearly as much if it wasn't comin' from you." She explained.

Eric smiled at her for a moment, "But is it enough, Sookie? Do you not have some expectations of yourself, or a dream you wish to pursue? When you were a child, what was it you wanted to be?" He pressed.

Sookie paused for a moment, "Normal."

Eric was speechless a moment. It was not fair. It was not _right_. This remarkable creature had been so misunderstood and mistreated for so long that she had never even gotten a chance to indulge in childish fantasies of growing up! No wonder her expectations revolved solely around him, he was the only one to expect anything of her!

He would not speak it, or even let on what his new goal was for her. Her training and tutoring would no longer be just about making her "average". Eric would make her realize that she was extraordinary. And, by the Gods, he promised to himself, she would hold her head high without him standing beside her to tilt her chin back for her! This was his silent oath, and when he made an promise like the one he secretly made to her now, he always fulfilled that promise.

"Come here, Lover, I will read to you." Eric turned onto his back and parted his knees so that Sookie could curl up with him. Her contentment at being held by him was what made Eric happy to do this. She felt so at home in his lap, and it felt so natural to read to her and tell her tales. They read to each other on and off the remainder of the evening, until the sun called Eric to rest, and Sookie drifted away without his emotional presence.

Sookie awoke to a dull ache in her womb. Hobbling to the bathroom, the girl took her vitamin, iron, and another dose of Excedrin before getting into the shower. Per Eric's request, she lined her panties with a pad, and went back into the bedroom to put on one of his shirts. Grabbing Angie's phone number off of the nightstand, Sookie went to the kitchen to call the witch she had met the other night.

"_Hello?_" Angie's voice came over the line.

"Hello, Angie?" Sookie asked uncertainly.

"_Yeah?_"

"This is Sookie. We met at the dance club?" Sookie reminded the witch.

"_Yeah! Of course!_" Angie's voice sounded like she was smiling, "_How ya doin', Sweetheart?"_

"I'm good. Sorry I didn't call yesterday. I was havin' a rough day." She apologized.

"_No problem. Are you okay?_" Angie was concerned, and that surprised the young telepath.

"Uh, yeah. I was gettin'... I think Eric said I was... "Anemic"? I think that's what he said." Sookie explained.

"_Yeah, I bet getting chewed on by a vamp regularly would do that_." Angie chuckled, but she did not seem judgmental or disgusted.

"Yeah... I wasn't feelin' very good." She sighed.

"_So, I was talking to some women in my coven, and they all really want to meet you!_" Angie laughed.

Sookie giggled nervously, "I don't know..."

"_Well, we always all go out on Wednesday nights to a coffee shop here in Shreveport. It's called Espressyo Self. If you want, you should drop in for a bit and bring the vamp with you. You don't have to stay long, or you could if you wanted._" Angie suggested.

"What's today?" Sookie asked, having lost track a long time ago.

"_Monday._" Angie laughed.

"I'll talk to Eric, and see if he has any plans for us the day after tomorrow." Sookie assured her.

The two chatted for another hour or so, and Sookie was excited to be speaking to someone- happy that someone was interested in knowing her. However, Sookie found herself getting to know more about Angie than the witch learned about her. She found out that Angie was 20, a middle child with an older and younger sister, her favorite color was green, which did not surprise Sookie since Angie had florescent green tips in her hair. She loved to read, and watched very little television, but loved movies. Angie worked as a physical therapist at a hospital and used her ability to heal by manipulating energy. She was very blunt and physically affectionate, which Sookie had realized instantly when the young woman had hugged her upon meeting.

"_So how did you and Eric meet?_" Angie asked.

"Umm..." Sookie was unable to decide how to explain that one. She was against admitting that she had been living on the streets for a little over a month, and, surely, Eric did not want Angie to know that he had initially brought Sookie home as a snack.

"_It's okay, Sweetheart. You sound like that subject makes you uncomfortable. Just forget that I asked._" Angie told her soothingly. "_Have you been working on your reading at all?"_

"Eric and I read last night together. I really like when we do that 'cause he sits me down between his legs and holds me while I hold the book. I follow along with my finger, and he reads, and then I'll read a chapter. We usually do that before bed, and I fall asleep while he reads. He's got a really nice voice, and I think he can tell when I'm gettin' sleepy, 'cause his voice starts gettin' softer and softer and then I'm asleep." She giggled.

"_That's really sweet. From what I know about vampires, they're not usually so patient and they're definitely not care givers."_

"I think he's just really into makin' me happy, and he knows learnin' to read means a lot to me. Plus, it's also somethin' that would help him, 'cause he wants me to use my telepathy to read his employees and stuff. If I have to do that durin' the day or without him, I'd need to take notes on what I heard, and I'd need to be able to read questions he'd want me to ask." She explained.

"_So he's just using you for your gift?_" Angie sounded annoyed.

"Oh, no!" Sookie shook her head vehemently, though Angie could not see it, "He likes me well enough, and I think he cares about me a lot. But he doesn't waste anythin' he has. He knows he's got an edge with my ability, and he's not gonna put me on a shelf and pretend it don't exist. Considering how others have responded to my disability, I kind of like havin' someone see it as somethin' useful... It's nice to have someone believe in it, and not just think I'm crazy and hearin' voices."

"_I can understand that_." Angie back peddled. "_I didn't mean to offend you, I was just concerned for a moment that your gift was the only reason he kept you around and took care of you."_

"Nah-No, I really think he likes havin' me around. If nothin' else, I think he enjoys the company." Sookie admitted.

"I _love_ the company." Sookie shrieked when a cool, panty soaking voice whispered in her ear.

"ERIC!" Sookie yelped, dropping the phone for Eric to catch deftly.

Sookie could hear Angie laughing on the other end as Eric handed it back, "_I'll let you go, Sweetheart. Enjoy your vampire._" She hung up, and Sookie flushed as she took in a shirtless Eric.

"Good evening, Lover." Eric purred leaning forward to cup Sookie's bottom and lift her off of the barstool and set her on the kitchen counter. He took a deep breath through his nostrils and shuddered slightly at the mixture of blood and fresh wave of arousal, "Lie back..." He instructed in that same voice that made her tremble and follow his instructions quickly.

Before she knew what was happening, Eric had slipped off her panties and pushed her borrowed t-shirt up along her torso. He growled hungrily before descending upon her bleeding sex. Sookie mewled happily as her lover drank from her and pleasured her, gripping the edges of the counter as her hips bucked against his face until he was forced to immobilize them.

Eric was moaning at the flavor she was emitting. It was deep and rich and _hot_. When he drank from her throat it was sweet and exhilarating, but this blood was different. It made him feel a deep power within himself, as if he was capable of anything, like nothing could ever stop him. Every time Sookie orgasmed from his technique and the flavor of her blood mingled with the sweet tangy-ness of her arousal, Eric nearly lost it. He continued drinking her with a great fervor, plunging his fingers into her hot depths to encourage more blood to flow until he had his fill, which he never expected to happen. He would drink her all night if she allowed it.

An electronic version of Fur Elise interrupted Eric's newest favorite treat, and he growled impatiently as he abandoned Sookie, who was still writhing on the kitchen counter, to retrieve his cell phone. "WHAT!?" He snapped as he picked it up and came back to the kitchen, shoving three fingers back into Sookie and making her scream in pleasure.

"_Master, I didn't realize you were entertaining. Should I call back?_" Pam's voice was amused.

"You knew damned well what I was doing, Pamela." Eric snarled, knowing his Child could feel the extreme pleasure he was experiencing, as well as the irritation he felt now. He pounded his hand against Sookie's pussy until she came again with another scream, and he let her inner walls clench around his fingers for a while, enjoying the sensations.

"_Yes, well, you also knew you promised to pick me up at the airport this evening. You told me so last week."_ Her tone was dry.

Eric was extremely annoyed, but not with Pam. He was annoyed because he had never actually _forgotten_ to do anything until he had met Sookie. All of the sudden he was so eager to be with her, that he was forgetting small appointments, as well as silly things like buying her vitamins and supplements even though he had planned on doing these things. He was even losing track of time. Though his pleasuring Sookie seemed to have only been for a few moments, apparently they had been at this for more than just a while. Long enough for Pam to rise, board a plane and LAND in Louisiana. Even with the time difference, that was still two hours he had spent unaware with Sookie!

"The airport is not far out. Would you like to wait, or grab a cab?" Eric removed his fingers and splayed his bloody hand across her stomach, leaving red fingers smeared across her gorgeous flesh.

Pam snickered, "_Do you think my __**shoes**__could fit in a mere taxi?_" She asked, and Eric agreed that it was unlikely.

"I will bring the Escalade. I will also be bringing a companion with me."

_"Oh?"_

Eric hung up and looked down at Sookie regretfully, "Lover, we must make a trip to the airport. My Child has arrived."

Sookie stared at him in a daze before she seemed to collect herself, "O-Okay." She slid off of the counter bonelessly, and clung to her lover gratefully as he dragged her towards the bathroom to clean them both up. Eric's chin was coated with blood, and the insides of Sookie's thighs felt the same way. They showered and dressed quickly, and Sookie was surprised when Eric lead her to his larger car. "You have _two_ cars?" Sookie had never been in the garage before.

"I have several cars. These are the only two on this property, however." Eric opened the passenger's side door and helped Sookie into the seat.

"Wow." Sookie smiled when Eric was beside her instantly, turning the ignition. They tore off together down the street and onto the highway. Sookie was nervous and excited about meeting Pam. She knew that Pam was important to Eric, and she wanted very much for his Child to approve of her. "Eric..."

"Yes, Lover?"

"When we were drivin' home the other night... You said that if I drank from you one more time, I would be yours..."

"Yes."

"What... Why haven't you let me be yours?" She asked quietly.

"Sookie," Eric was speaking quietly, slowly, "You have only known me a few days. A blood bond is forever. You are young and-"

"I know I'm young!" She gasped, "But I've never felt this way before! I want to always be with you, I want to know you can never leave me, 'cause I know I could never leave you!" She rambled out quickly.

"Hush, Little One." Eric soothed, taking her warm hand and rubbing his thumb over the back of it, "I have every intention of making you mine, of keeping you forever." He assured her. "Just give it a little time. I want you to be comfortable in my world before you are tied to it."

"I could live anywhere, and deal with anythin' if I knew you were the one I was doin' it for." Sookie said quietly, a bit more subdued.

"We will discuss this more tonight." Eric promised her.

"Where is Pam sleepin'?" Sookie asked, changing the subject before she could muster up the will to bring it back up.

"The spare bedroom is light proofed, but much less secure than my day chamber. She will sleep there." Eric explained, "She is moving back to the area on a long term basis so that she can be settled and help me with setting up Fangtasia before The Great Reveal. She will be looking for her own place while she stays with us."

"Okay... How long will she be stayin'?" Sookie asked.

"Not too long. She has been checking out the local real estate from New York, and already has a few houses in mind. A few months at most."

"Does she know a Were tried to kill you, or that the house isn't really too safe right now?" Sookie asked as they pulled into the airport receiving area.

"Not yet, but I will speak to her about it later. I have been occupied these past few evenings." Eric silently cursed himself as he pulled up to the airport's roadside receiving area. Yet _another_ thing he had forgotten over the past week!

Sookie gawked at the woman standing next to a pile of luggage at the sidewalk. Her demeanor appeared bored with an underlying sense of agitation.

Slipping out of the car when Eric opened her door, Sookie stepped behind him and approached the female vampire. She was not feeling as nervous around Pam as she had with Charles, and Sookie wondered if it was because Pam was Eric's Child, and that she knew she was safe. "Pam," Eric stepped slightly to the side to display Sookie, "this is Sookie."

"Mmm, so this tasty morsel is what has had your mood fluctuating to all of those pleasant places." Pam purred at the younger blonde.

Sookie tilted her head down shyly as she took in the woman before her. Stunning would never even begin to cover her appearance. The telepath was immediately dazed by Eric's Child, and smiled sweetly at her.

"It's nice to meet you, Pam." Sookie nodded softly at her.

"Hon har haft ditt blod." _[She has had your blood.] _Pam said in Swedish once she noticed this detail after a subtle taste of the air.

"Ett par gånger." [_A couple of times.]_ Pam raised her eyebrow at Eric's answer in their usual code language. "Hon är speciell." [She is special.]

"Hmm," Pam tilted her head contemplatively, "hon luktar speciellt ... Särskilt delikat." _[she smells special... Particularly delicious_.]

"Let me help with your bags." Sookie leaned towards the luggage, having spent enough time standing by awkwardly while they spoke in a foreign language. She took the bag closest to her and started to turn before she felt it swept from her hands by Eric.

"That is not necessary, Lover. I brought you for your company, not to haul luggage." Eric smiled at her, "Please, get in the car with Pam, and I will load up the trunk." He opened the back door for her, and Pam slid between them.

"Allow me to take the back, Master, I do not mind." Pam could tell that Eric wanted Sookie beside him in the car, and only went to put the girl in the back so as not to offend her.

Eric nodded approvingly at Pam and stepped aside so she could get in the car before he opened the other door for Sookie.

"Thank you," Sookie said timidly as Eric went to load up Pam's luggage, "I know you did that for him, but it means a lot to me, too."

Pam eyed the little blonde curiously, "How long has Eric had you? I felt his emotions changing a few days ago, but that might not have been the instance he met you. He does not allow me access to his feelings often, but has been surprisingly forthcoming this last week."

Counting back on her fingers, now knowing that today was Monday, Sookie finally answered, "Eric found me Tuesday night."

"I have not known him to spend so much of his time with a mortal." Pam's gaze was both calculating and unsettling to Sookie, "True, you do smell very good, but that would be no reason for him to keep you around so often. I can tell that you have not been glamoured either." This made Pam even more suspicious.

"Oh, that's because-"

"What are we talking about, ladies?" Eric asked as he slipped into the car. One of the perks to the Great Reveal would be no longer having to adhere to human speed and strength. Had he not needed to worry about exposing his vampire abilities, Eric could have been home by now.

"Your interest in this creature." Pam answered.

Sookie beamed at Eric when his free arm went over her shoulder, and Pam was surprised because she had never seen such a gaze bestowed upon her Maker by a mortal nor vampire. The way she could feel how that gaze affected Eric was even more surprising. Was this _love_? Was her Master in love with this little girl? Eric could feel Pam's surprise and confusion, and it made him cautious.

Eric ignored Pam's response by closing off her access to his emotions, "Have you eaten yet, Lover?" He asked Sookie while putting the vehicle into gear.

"Oh, no, I was on the phone with Angie all afternoon..." She admitted sheepishly, "I forget to eat a lot." She explained to Pam.

Eric smiled at her, though his eyes were dark and cold, now knowing that her constant missed meals was something she had adjusted to even before she was homeless. She was so used to being hungry that unless she was about to collapse, she tended to either ignore or not notice her hunger pains.

"We will stop somewhere so that you can eat." Eric nodded to himself.

"No, that's okay. There's food at home, I'll eat when we get there." She smiled brightly at him, not wanting to be a burden to the group.

"Home? She is living with you, Master?" Pam was reeling.

"Sookie does not have a home." Eric explained shortly.

"So you offered her lodgings out of the goodness of your heart?" Pam raised a suspicious eyebrow. It was nothing like her Master to invite a complete stranger into his residence to stay. It was risky and stupid, and nothing like Eric. "And you allow her to roam around your nest while you are at rest? Can she get in and out of your safe room, too!? What are-"

"Enough, Pamela." Eric hissed and Pam's mouth snapped shut.

Sookie deflated into her seat. She thought that her and Pam were getting along fine up until this point. Suddenly, Sookie felt like she was a home wrecker.

The remainder of the ride was silent, and when Eric pulled into the driveway, close to the front door to make unloading Pam's luggage quicker, his Child went into the house to browse around as her Master brought in the suitcases. It still amused Pam how much Eric spoiled her when she returned after being away for long periods of time. Sookie followed behind the other woman silently, and flinched when Pam picked up one of the books Eric had bought her.

"I didn't realize that your taste in literature had declined so much." Pam smirked at her Maker as he came in with all of her bags as she held the My First Book of 'B' book that was literally a book with a lot of words beginning with the letter "B". Eric's face became stoic as Sookie was overcome with shame while Pam held the book up amusedly. "Broadening your vocabulary, Master?"

"Pamela." Eric said in a warning tone.

"She can't _read_?" Pam was not at all impressed with her master's pet.

Sookie was extremely grateful that she was unable to hear Pam's thoughts. The words she said alone were enough to make her want to crawl under a rock and die. Bowing her head, Sookie took a step back and clamped her lips together. She could not allow herself to get into a quarrel with Pam. She knew that Eric's Child meant a lot to him, and she would not do anything to challenge her, out of respect for him. She could take the insults, they were just words; words she had heard all of her life. And an old wound was no reason to cause a fuss, even when the scab of it made her shiver whenever it was picked at.

"Pamela." Eric snarled, making his Child flinch, "This petulance will cease _now_. You will not speak to Sookie in such a manner. Take your belongings to your room. I do not wish to see you the remainder of the evening." His voice was commanding, and Pam left silently, though not without shooting another disapproving glance at the young woman. "Come here, Lover." Eric opened his arms to Sookie and she stepped into his embrace tentatively. "I am sorry that she hurt your feelings. She does not like the extent of my feelings for you."

"Why?"

"She believes that they are making me sloppy and stupid." He told her simply. "Which is very true."

Sookie frowned harder, "I'm sorry that I'm such a distraction." She whispered.

"Hush, Little One." Eric smiled into her hair. "I would gladly trade a bit of precaution for the evenings I have spent with you."

"I don't want you gettin' hurt, though, and if I'm makin' you sloppy, then I'm puttin' you in _more_ danger!" Sookie turned in his arms, looking up at him worriedly, "What if someone like that André vampire finds out about me? What if they use me t' hurt you? You've already gotta target on yer back by stayin' in this house fer me!"

Eric was surprised how quickly Sookie made those connections, "Yes, Sookie, you will be a weakness of mine," he admitted slowly, "but I will do everything in my power to keep that weakness from being exploited." He kissed her cheek gently, "I will protect you, and I will teach you to protect yourself." He assured her.

"Teach me to fight." Sookie stared deep into his eyes, her expression grave.

"That is a promise."

**TBC**

_As always, I hope you enjoyed, and I please remember to review! Next week's chapter might be a few days late as I plan to be rather hung over on New Year's Day, and potentially unable to post!-Andi_


	6. Chapter 6

Keep Me

_A/N: Happy New Years, Readers! I hope that you all had a safe and enjoyable evening! Seeing as I can already tell my future hangover will be rather unpleasant, I decided to post now rather than trying to work up the will to do it after a deserved night's sleep. It's taking some concentration to type, and José is being rather aggressive about telling me to go to bed. That aside, I hope you enjoy chapter six of __Keep Me__ and that you give me a bit of leniency in my editing. It did not get the usual thrice over, but I thought "Drunk Andi" would do better than "Hungover Andi". Again- HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!_

_-Andi_

_**EDIT:*** So, apparently "Drunk Andi" thought it would be absolutely hilarious to make a mess for "Hungover Andi" to fix. I repaired the double posting of this chapter by murdering its identical twin. Thank you to my readers who pointed this out! Luckily my puppy woke me up for a walk, and even my pounding headache could not make me resist checking to see if I had received any reviews yet! At least it only looked ridiculous for about 5 hours!-Andi*****  
_

**Chapter Six:**

Sookie awoke in her favorite place the next afternoon- in Eric's bed with his arm draped about her waist. With a contented sigh, Sookie removed the lifeless arm and crawled out of bed. She showered quickly and went about her plans for the day.

Picking up the cordless phone in the kitchen, Sookie called Angie and began chatting with her as she went about the house picking up. Eric was meticulously neat, but she knew that the kitchen needed to be wiped down and that Eric's hamper was overflowing with clothes. Also, she wanted to see if anything of Pam's needed to be put away or washed. She was firmly set on making friends with Eric's Child, even if it killed her. She even told Angie so.

"_She sounds like a real bitch."_ Angie grunted when Sookie told her about the incident with her book.

Sookie sighed, "I agree. Part of me wants to just leave it alone, 'cause it's not like she's the first one to pick on me about it. Another part of me just wants to scream at her for judgin' me so quickly. She doesn't know I'm a telepath, or how I spent my childhood, or even the last six years! Who does she think she is to judge me?" She ranted.

"_Wow, I think that was the most I've heard you say all at once."_ Angie laughed, _"So, why don't you tell her that stuff? Hell, why don't you tell __**me**__ that stuff? Most I know about you is that you're a telepath that somehow met a vampire and now you're living with him. How did you meet, why are you with him, where's your family, why didn't you learn how to read..? And what the hell has been happening to you the last six years? You wouldn't have pin pointed it if it weren't specifically important."_

Sookie was quiet a long time, "I-I don't know that I want to tell you... I mean, most of my family's dead. My parents and my gran, at least. I have a brother somewhere, but I haven't seen him since I was six years old. I think my aunt and cousin are still alive, but I haven't heard anythin' 'bout them in the past six or seven years."

"_Woah,"_ Angie was quiet for a while before gently asking, _"When did your parents die?"_

"When I was eight. Then I went to live with my gran 'til I was 11, but then she died, too." Sookie could already sense Angie's next question, and could not bring herself to talk about it, "Don't ask me anythin' 'bout after that, though. I met Eric last week, and everythin's been great since then, so let's just leave it there, okay?"

"_Okay, Sugar... Will you tell me how you and tall, blond and dead actually met?" _

Sookie smiled a bit to herself, "I was attacked by two guys outside of one of Eric's properties. When they got the upper hand on me, Eric stepped in and took me in. I was knocked out, and he brought me home. He told me it was 'cause he originally wanted me as a snack 'cause I smelled real good. Only, I woke up, and we got talkin' and he actually wanted to know me."

Angie listened to Sookie's recounting of her meeting with Eric, and felt a strange confliction. What in the world had this girl been through that had caused her to believe in a man that originally thought of her as "snack food"? Sure, being born a telepath had to have its hardships, but what connection was Angie missing that gave Sookie the capacity to just accept her role in this? _"You know, Sugar, from what I know about vamps, and it ain't much- they don't really value humans much. Now, your vamp didn't know you were a witch before I mentioned it, so that means he just thought you were a gifted human. That won't raise his opinion of you by that much, though. Sure, telepathy's useful, but a vampire can get the answers he needs with or without you."_

"What are you sayin'?" Sookie asked carefully.

"_I'm saying to be careful. The same thing I'd tell any girlfriend that was in a relationship with a rich, powerful guy- dead or alive. 'Cause, these relationships... Sugar, they rarely have a storybook ending."_

Sookie laughed, "My life has never been a storybook endin' kind of life... I've never felt a reason to explain myself to many people, but I'm gonna try and explain somethin' to you 'bout me, okay?"

"_Okay, shoot."_

"I try to live in the moment, 'cause there's nothin' in the past I want to really keep, and the future is rarely a promise of better things. Most of my life has been startin' with bad and only gettin' worse. Then, I met Eric and there were promises. Sometimes those promises mean I have to hold back a piece of myself, and other times, they mean I have to accept things for the way that they are and not cause the stress of questionin' them. But that's all fine, 'cause those promises are more than I've ever had, or even expected. I can hold back those pieces of myself, and I can accept things I know are wrong, 'cause that is _so much better_ than havin' the life forcefully squeezed, or hit or drugged out of me. I'll hold myself back just so I can be myself in whatever way I can."

"_Woah... Sookie, I never..."_ Angie stammered for a moment as she tried to collect herself- to try and comprehend the weight of what Sookie had given away, however unintentionally, _"Okay. I don't know that I fully understand it, but okay. This isn't one of those times that I can give advice. There is no playbook for you."_

"Playbook?"

"_You know, the ladies' playbook of relationships? Like, no sex until the third date, and stuff?"_

"Eric and I had sex the night he brought me here." Sookie frowned to herself.

Angie was laughing on the other end of the line, _"Exactly my point."_

Moving about the house, Sookie got the kitchen cleaned and went to Eric's room first to gather his laundry after hanging up with Angie. Sookie prided herself at being good at keeping house. Her Gran had taught her to take pride in a clean home, and since Sookie was never in any condition to be in school- Gran had taught her to tend to the house, even teaching her little bits of how to read. Though the reading never went anywhere because, as sweet as Gran's head was, it was too difficult for the young telepath to focus with the older woman's thoughts in her head.

Now, with Eric's silence and patience, it was like the few years Sookie had enjoyed with her Gran gave the telepath enough of a jump start, that reading seemed to come to her faster now.

Since Eric's clothes were a load of laundry on their own, Sookie went up to the light tight spare bedroom upstairs. She frowned when she saw the bed empty and Pam not occupying the room. Shrugging, Sookie figured that there was a hidden spot, just in case, somewhere in the bedroom. Going through the luggage, Sookie found some items that needed to be pressed, but mostly just needed to be put away. Humming to herself in an off key tune, Sookie went about putting away Pam's clothes and shoes before storing the luggage under the bed and the shoes in the closet. She took the items that needed to be ironed down to the laundry room.

Continuing with her humming, she managed to get all of Pam's clothes ironed and hung up before she folded Eric's finished laundry. However, the monotony ended there.

Sookie shrieked with surprise when a hand clamped about her throat, and she was suddenly shoved against the wall of the laundry room. Before she even had a chance to be afraid of the enraged looking Pam, Eric was there, ripping his Child's hand from Sookie's throat.

"Pamela!" Eric roared, "What is the meaning of this!?" He snapped.

"This little snake was in my room during the day!" Pam snarled back, "What were you doing there, you little viper!?" Pam demanded in a cold hiss.

Holding her throat, eyes blurring with worried tears, Sookie pointed shakily at the hanging bar where she had left Pam's freshly pressed clothes to cool, "I-Ironin' yer clothes... I put yer stuff away and brought down the more wrinkled stuff." She sniffled, her body teeming with adrenaline. "I-I'm sorry. I was just-"

"Shh, Little One." Eric was still holding Pam's wrist in a vice-like grip, his blue eyes colder than the female vampire had seen in decades. "I believe my Child owes you an apology. That was very thoughtful of you, Sookie." He ground out as he dropped Pam's arm.

Pam crossed her arms over her chest as she spat, "My apologies, Sookie."

"I guess I should've thought 'bout what I was doin'... I mean," Sookie bit her lip, "you don't know me, and you're a sittin' duck durin' the day... But... You're a part of Eric, and I couldn't think of hurtin' you anymore than I could hurt him." She shrugged weakly, "I know that don't mean much comin' from me-"

"You are rambling, Little One." Eric smiled gently at her.

"I'm sorry." Sookie mumbled.

"There is nothing to be sorry about." Eric soothed back her hair. "Pamela," he turned to his Child, "how do you plan on making this up to Sookie? Not only did you attack her for being considerate, but she also unpacked your luggage, put it neatly away and pressed your clothes... Quite nicely, I might add."

Pam's gaze was steady, but thawing quickly from the frozen glare she had maintained since last night, "Sookie, I apologize for my scathing comments about your illiteracy. You appear to have redeeming qualities as a domestic." Eric growled, making Pam back peddle, "Let me make up for my attack by taking you shopping. You will have the lovely beginnings of a wardrobe by the end of the evening." She had the telltale signs of a smirk on her lips.

Sookie backed up into Eric, "You'll come with?" She whispered meekly.

"Don't worry, Little Sookie, I won't bite." Pam grinned darkly.

"I need to hold Eric's hand." Sookie mumbled, making Pam quirk an inquisitive eyebrow, "he keeps the thoughts quiet." She said softly.

Pam looked to her Master for an explanation. Was Eric dating a schizophrenic?

"Sookie is a telepath. She can read all human minds, and occasionally a Were, but vampires are silent to her. If she is touching a vampire, it mutes out the humans' thoughts so that she can function in public. We are working on building some mental shields so that this contact will no longer be necessary, but they are very underdeveloped." Eric explained.

"A _telepath_?" Pam was shocked. No wonder her Master was so intense about this little blonde, "That is useful."

"She has spared my existence once already by using her gift." Eric smiled fondly at Sookie, "She is my little warrior." He kissed the top of Sookie's blonde head.

"That's why I can't read, though... It was too hard tryin' to focus on learnin' to read when everyone's thoughts kept gettin' in the way." Sookie cast her eyes at her bare toes.

"Well, Eric, would you like to spend the evening shopping with the girls?" Pam leered at her Maker.

"It would be a delight to see my Sookie frolicking in beautiful dresses." Eric smirked, "Perhaps we will drop by the jewelry store again and get you a pair of earrings to match your necklace." Eric traced his finger over the diamond solitaire that Sookie only removed when she showered.

"My ears aren't pierced." Sookie told him.

"We could get that done at the mall." Pam shrugged.

Sookie grabbed her earlobes as she bit her lip, "Does it hurt?"

Pam grinned, "Mine were pierced back in the 1800's. It was not nearly so pleasant then."

Sookie whimpered and rubbed her earlobes harder.

"I believe most people complain of a burning sensation afterwards." Eric reassured her, "Not the miniscule pain of the procedure."

"O-Okay." Sookie mumbled, "I'll get it done."

"There is no pressure, Sookie." Eric told her.

"I want to."

"All right then. We will do that first so that you can take your mind off of it with shopping afterwards." Pam exuded some underlying excitement. Sookie observed that Pam, apparently, enjoyed shopping, and she had to wonder if this was a gift to her or Pam.

Soon, the trio was heading into the mall, and Pam steered Sookie towards a nearby Claire's. As she sat nervously in the chair, Eric held her hand reassuringly. The woman with the piercing gun smiled at her as she swabbed Sookie's earlobes with rubbing alcohol, dotted them with a marker, and few loud clicks later- Sookie's ears were pierced with a pair of blue studs.

Sookie's mouth hung open, "That didn't hurt at all!" Eric laughed as Pam went to pay for the earrings.

"I am surprised that someone your age in these times did not have their ears pierced by now." Pam said conversationally as the trio began perusing the mall.

Sookie looked to Eric, unsure how much she should share with Pam about her past, and wondering what all Eric would divulge.

"Sookie," Eric began carefully, "had a very difficult adolescence. She is only 17, but has already suffered more hardships than most humans experience their entire existences."

Pam glanced sideways at Sookie, suddenly believing her Maker's statement. It was quite difficult to place what it was about the little blonde, but there was a quiet power about her that Pam was beginning to see at last. Sookie appeared meek and nervous, always looking to Eric before she made any decisions or spoke, but there was something about her that said, "fierce when provoked". The best similarity that could come to Pam's mind was that of a pit bull that had gone to the ring. A sweet creature that had been hardened physically, but psychologically- would rather give kisses than wounds, but would never forfeit its life in a fight to the death. Pam wondered about this hidden aggression, and delighted at the thought of provoking it. Also, Eric had mentioned that Sookie had already saved his life once, and Pam was curious how this little human had managed such a feat. What had her Master overlooked as a threat that this little idiot had noticed?

The Louisiana Boardwalk was without many high end fashion stores. This displeased Pam, but they stopped into several shops that the vampiress deemed worthy of Eric's money. They even came away with quite a few nice outfits and dresses that Sookie was shyly appreciative of. However, the telepath could tell by the agitated, sideways glances that Pam kept giving the cheap earrings in the girl's ears; that Claire's had been a necessary evil. One that Pam had only allowed for the need of a piercing.

"I will have to take you to New Orleans some time to expand your wardrobe further." Pam sighed in faux regret, "This should do you well until then."

Sookie turned to Eric, ignoring Pam's suggestion to more shopping, wanting to change the subject before they began a drive to New Orleans that very evening, "Angie invited me to meet up with her witch friends tomorrow night... Would that be okay?" Pam wondered about these witches.

"Of course. I will not be needed for my duties as Sheriff until much later tomorrow evening." Eric nodded, "Where is this meeting?"

"Some place called Express Yourself?" Sookie shrugged.

"It is _Espressyo_ Self." Eric chuckled, "A play on words for espresso. It is a coffee house. I know of it." Eric nodded.

"What's espresso?" Sookie's eyes went round with immediate curiosity.

"A type of coffee brew." Eric held her hand to his lips and kissed it affectionately, "Have you never had coffee, Little One?" He asked and Sookie shook her head that she had not. "I will buy you a cup tomorrow night and we will see if you enjoy it."

"Cool," Sookie grinned up at him, squeezing his hand with a jolt of happiness. "So," she began tentatively, "you have to do your Sheriff stuff tonight, too?"

"I do. It was a sudden request for a meeting." Eric nodded, smiling as Sookie began swinging their clasped hands lazily.

"Would that ever be somethin' I could go with you to?" She asked curiously.

"I would enjoy that very much, however, tonight would not be a good time. You are still bleeding, and though I can subdue Pam, it would be uncouth to do so to another of my kind." He explained gently.

"That's okay... There's probably still a lot I have to learn about bein' 'round vampires before meetin' any more of them. That Charles guy creeps me out." Sookie blanched apologetically.

Pam smirked, "I have no prior engagements this evening. Perhaps I can begin teaching your Sookie about our world and their expectations towards her position." She offered, delighting in the opportunity to treat Sookie as the mongrel she seemed all too eager to play.

Eric thought for a moment before responding, "I do not wish to have you teach her Pam. She is mine, and I will take on the task of preparing her." He told her, "Perhaps you could teach Sookie some other things, though. Formal etiquette, make-up, fashion. Those types of things." He suggested. "Perhaps even some elocution lessons?"

"I would certainly enjoy teaching Sookie about fashion." Pam grinned, "She'll be running up your credit card in no time."

Eric laughed happily as they made their way back to his Escalade. When they were home, Eric gave Pam a glance and she nodded.

"Sookie, I need to speak with Pam for a moment. Please, go ahead inside and start putting your lovely new things away." He kissed her forehead. Sookie nodded, grabbed her bags and headed inside. "Pam," Eric turned to his Child, handing her the keys to his Escalade to take inside as he turned towards his Corvette, "I will be making Sookie my Bonded soon."

Pam let out a long, unneeded breath, "I thought as much. You will take her to meet Godric first, I suppose?"

"I will." He agreed, "Can you handle the Area for the time of my absence?"

"I can." Pam nodded, "You will train her some before taking her to Godric's nest, yes?"

"Of course. Stan would be insufferable if she faltered. Also, while I am out, could you assist Sookie with her reading? She is quite capable with a bit of guidance, and I know she detests those children's books. She prefers more mature literature, but she gets frustrated with the larger words in them." He explained.

"I can do that." Pam nodded again, "I bought her something while we were out." Pam pulled a tiny plastic bag from her jacket. When she opened it, Eric smirked at the Word of the Day calendar inside of it, "It will broaden her vocabulary as she learns to read."

"An excellent idea." Eric approved. "There is another thing, that you should know. This residence is not secure at the moment. I do not have time to go into detail, but I thought that you should know in the event that you wished to find an alternate place to rest during the day."

Pam's eyebrows raised at this admittance, "Your security has been compromised? Why-"

"I will explain after my return." He cut her off with finality, "I shall be back by dawn." As he opened the door to his Corvette, Eric paused and added, "You know what she means to me, Pamela. You know my intentions towards her. Therefore, treat her the way you _know _that I wish her to be treated. She has had my blood. I _will_ know if you mistreat her, whether she tells me or not."

Pam nodded carefully and turned to head inside. The sound of the cherry red Corvette growling to life was the only preamble to Eric's departure once she was through the garage door.

She found Sookie in Eric's room, removing tags as she folded the clothes neatly on the bed. "So, you are meeting with Witches tomorrow evening?" She asked, standing beside Sookie and picking up a lacy bit of lingerie to de-tag.

"Yes, we met a witch named Angie at a dance club the other night, and she invited me to meet her coven." Sookie explained, "She says that I have the makin's to be a powerful witch. I just think it was because of my telepathy, though." She shrugged.

"I do not know of such things." Pam admitted, "Witches, real ones that is, are far and in between. The useful ones are rare."

Sookie shrugged again, "I'm just worried about meetin' so many new people."

"Because it is so difficult to block out their thoughts?"

"It's easier with Eric." Sookie replied, "But what if they don't like me anyways? Even if I'm not bein' weird and jumpy?"

"It has been my experience that when no pleasure is derived from interaction, neither party enjoys the time spent together." Sookie gave the vampire a blank look and Pam chuckled, "Meaning that if they don't like you, you probably won't like them either." Sookie deflated, "There are billions of people in the world, Little Sookie, I am certain that you can find _someone_ to be your friend."

"I don't care much 'bout the rest, but I like Angie. I just want her friends to like me enough that she'll keep talkin' to me." Sookie explained and started packing away the folded clothing. "So, what are we goin' to do tonight?"

"That is up to you. We could work on your reading, or perhaps I could show you some issues of Italian Vogue that I have? If you'd like, we could watch a movie. What would you like to do?" Pam asked, grabbing the pile of undergarments and taking them to the hamper to be set aside for washing later.

"I don't know. I think I'd like to work on my readin'. Eric's goin' to teach me how to drive once I can read well enough to take a drivers' test!" She grinned happily, "I'm really excited about gettin' to learn all of these cool things!" Pam was completely enthralled with Sookie's enthusiasm. Though part of her found the excitement unnecessary, Pam also was questioning how much she had never considered a luxury; especially when someone Sookie's age had never even imagined knowing how to do such mundane things.

Cracking open a book in the den, Pam and Sookie sat beside each other- Sookie reading, while Pam helped her stammer out the larger words. They continued reading for nearly an hour before they finally decided to do something else. As Sookie put the book away, Pam asked, "May I ask, how it was that you saved my Master?"

Sookie leaned against the doorframe between the den and the kitchen, "His day man Douglas came around to go over Eric's place for valuables. While he was here, I heard him thinkin' 'bout how he needed to get in and get out 'cause a hired killer would be by soon to take out Eric. I found a knife and hid until he showed up. I realized that I couldn't hear the killer's thoughts very well, but one of his thoughts was that he could hear a heartbeat- so I realized he wasn't human. Since I figured I couldn't sneak up on him, I hit on him instead to get him as close as possible. When he leaned in to kiss me, I stabbed him in the neck and then kept stabbin' 'til he fell on me. He was a big guy, and broke a couple of my ribs when he fell. I couldn't push him off, and had to lay on the kitchen floor with him on top of me, bleedin' all over 'til Eric woke up and found us. He gave me some of his blood to heal my ribs, and yeah... That's about it." Sookie explained, leaving Pam with a stern gaze. "Eric said he was a Were."

"You killed a man for Eric?" Pam was shocked by this little thing that had taken down a Were.

"We'd only been together for a night, but... He's all I'd ever really had, and I wasn't about to let someone take that from me. We've only been together for a week now, but I'm ready to sit out on the front porch with a machine gun to keep him safe at this point." Sookie gave her a bemused grin, "Every night, it's like he becomes more..." She struggled for a word to describe Eric's hold on her, "I just don't want to have to live without him." She finally admitted.

Eric stormed up the ramp in front of the decrepit house before him. Forcing himself to knock on the door civilly, Eric waited with little patience for the twisted old man in a wheelchair to open the front door.

"Bartlett Hale?" Eric asked coldly.

"Yeah?" The old man wheezed back.

"You are the guardian of Sookie Stackhouse?" He asked.

Bartlett's eyebrows rose, "Have ya found her? Please, come in!" He wheeled back to admit Eric into the house. Eric stepped through the threshold with a sneer. "Where is she?"

"Sookie is at my home right now. I found her living on the streets." Eric replied in a clipped tone.

"Sookie's a disturbed kid." Bartlett tried to pull his face into a pitying expression, "Hope she hasn't been too much trouble fer ya."

"She has been a complete delight to have around." Eric snapped back, "I enjoy her company greatly. However, some things I have discovered about her past have compelled me to come to this hovel. But before I exact her revenge," Eric caught Bartlett's gaze, "tell me everything that you know about Sookie and her family."

"What is it, Pam?" Sookie saw Pam tremble slightly.

"Eric is not happy right now. I have not felt this kind of ferocity from him in a long time." She replied then shrugged, "I feel intrigued over how a fledgling pissed him off that thoroughly." Sookie giggled, but Pam could feel where Eric was, and it was nowhere near his usual dwellings for his Sheriff duties. Wherever Eric was, she was already preparing an alibi for him in her head. "Sookie, in the event that Eric was forced to take some sort of extreme measure this evening- you must vow to say that he was with you all evening."

"O... Kay..." Sookie frowned.

"Your inability to be glamoured will work in his favor." She explained.

"You think Eric killed a vampire tonight?" Sookie tilted her head curiously.

"Perhaps." Pam shrugged.

"Well, if he needs me to lie for him, then all he has to do is ask." Sookie shrugged back and went back to flipping through the magazine Pam had given her.

Pam chuckled, "You've killed for him, and you would cover for him when he has killed."

"Eric has done more to earn my loyalty than anyone I've ever known." Sookie said darkly, "He could have anythin' he asked from me. All he needs to do is ask for it, and I would do whatever I could to make it happen. I don't have anythin' to offer but my loyalty to him."

Pam nodded approvingly, "Your loyalty is a fine thing, but you have much more to offer him than just that. As his Child, I can feel his emotions so long as he does not close his end of the bond, and he has been happier the past few evenings than I have felt in a very long time. Even those were fleeting and superficial, however. With you, he seems to be in a consistently good mood, and I can sense that it runs deeply." She confided.

Sookie leaned her chin on her open palm, "He's the only one that ever showed me any respect... Pam, how will I need to act in front of other vampires? I get the feelin' that I'm not actin' right 'round you, but it's only okay 'cause you're Eric's Child."

Pam became thoughtful for a moment, "Eric has decided that he will be the one to train you in the ways of interacting with vampires. And it's "**a**round" not "'round" and "**be**cause", not "'cause"."

"So, you won't tell me anythin'?" Sookie asked.

"No."

"Okay... Just one question?" Sookie asked, her expression as endearing as she could muster.

"I do not fall prey to what you humans call "puppy eyes"." Pam smirked, "Your questions can wait for Eric. I can feel he will be returning shortly. He is satisfied."

Sookie nodded and went back to looking at the magazine in front of her. As Pam had said, Eric was back in the house not even thirty minutes later.

Leaping up from the couch, Sookie ran over to greet him, and she swooned when Eric swept her up in his arms and spun her in a hug. "Good evening, my little marvel. What have you been doing this evening?" Sookie did not miss the prolonged time he spent holding her, or the way he seemed to breathe in the scent of her hair as though he had craved the smell of it for months.

"Pam and I read for a bit, and she showed me some magazines. I don't think I get fashion at all. I don't know how women move in some of the clothes they were wearin'. There was this dress that looked like it had a metal frame holdin' it in place." She made a face and Eric laughed as his arms remained wrapped about her waist. "I think clothes should move with a body, not the other way around."

"Master, I am going to find my meal for the evening. Do you need me at all?" Pam asked, rising from the sofa and interrupting the pair.

"That is fine, Pam. Enjoy." Eric nodded to her and she was gone before Eric had even set Sookie back on her feet. "Come now, Little One." Eric lead her to the kitchen and sat down at a barstool, "You should eat."

Sookie nodded and made herself a sandwich as Eric watched with interest. "Eric, can we talk a bit?"

"About?"

"Vampires."

Eric chuckled, "This could be interesting. What do you want to know?"

"Well, you said that there are certain rules and stuff... What will I have to do when I'm around vampires other than you and Pam?"

"You will need to be quiet, keep your head down, never speak unless spoken to, but never before receiving my permission to speak."

"So... I should act like one of those service dogs? Like a Leader Dog for the Blind?" Sookie tilted her head curiously.

"I suppose that would be an accurate assessment." Eric did not approve of the idea that Sookie was thinking of herself as a dog.

"Then... I'm like your pet." Sookie slumped visibly.

"That," Eric began slowly, "is exactly how the vampire community will view you. However, once we are Bonded, you will be elevated from that rank."

"How so?"

"When a vampire chooses a human to be his or her Bonded, it raises the appraisal of that human. It is like a stepping stone between human and vampire. Most vampires who choose to Bond intend on transforming their Bonded from human to vampire at some point in the future."

"Why don't they just change them and not do the Bondin' thing?" Sookie munched on her sandwich.

"Different reasons. However, Bonding is a very rare occurrence." He explained, "Most vampires _do _just go ahead and change a human to vampire. However, I want you to have many experiences before we were to go to that step. Also, I wish for you to be certain that it is what you want as well."

"I'm not sure about becomin' a vampire." Sookie admitted, "I really like bein' able to hang out in the sun. Back when I was..." Her eyes shadowed over slightly, "I used to sit up in this old tree in the backyard. It was almost dead, and I'd lie on one of the branches and just let the sun soak into my skin. It was like someone was givin' me a hug."

Eric rose from his seat and wrapped his arms around Sookie, "I wish my arms could offer you that warmth." He whispered in her ear.

"Your arms warm me in a different way." She tilted her head back for a kiss, and he did not leave her waiting. There was a moment of silence before Sookie asked slowly, "Did you kill someone tonight?"

"Yes." He replied without hesitation.

"Do you need me to lie for you at all? 'Cause- Because we should probably get our stories straight now." Sookie looked up at him, unfazed.

Eric was surprised, "You would offer to be my alibi?" He asked.

Sookie shrugged, "Of course. I wouldn't want you to get in trouble with the other vampires-"

"I killed a human this evening." Eric understood what she meant. Apparently Pam had told her, and prepared Sookie to be his alibi.

"Oh..." She frowned for a second and then seemed to realize, "You killed Bartlett, didn't you?"

"Yes." Eric waited for her to respond verbally as he sifted through the cacophony of emotions that swirled within her. Relief was the number one feeling he could discern.

"How?"

"I lit the stove and blew out the burner. I held him over it until he succumbed to the fumes." He explained while silently cursing forensic counter measures. He had so desperately wished to torture the monster physically as well as psychologically, but that option was too difficult to erase the evidence of. And he could not risk letting Bartlett's body being discovered and the suspicions being shifted on to Sookie. The mental torture via glamour would have to sate the bloodlust Eric wished so desperately to succumb to.

"So, it will look like an accident?" Sookie tilted her head curiously.

"Yes... Are you angry with me?" He knew that she was not angry at that moment from his one sided connection.

"Not at all." Sookie shrugged, "He was a monster."

"Yes, he was." Eric agreed, "I questioned him before I killed him."

"About me?"

Eric nodded, "He was a vile old man."

"Yeah- Yes, I know."

"There are things he did to you." Eric her held the girl tighter, "Things you did not tell me." He could hear Sookie's heart accelerate.

"You know them now..." Sookie covered her ears, "Don't bring them up... It's over. It's done. Please, just let me forget now."

Eric sighed, "I wish, for the first time, that you _could _be glamoured; that I could take those memories away for you."

"It's easier to bear now-a-days." She smiled weakly, "'Cause I know that I've walked through hell, and that bein' with you is my reward for that."

Keeping his arms braced around her, Eric nuzzled her throat before letting out a pleased sigh, "I want to make you my Bonded, Sookie." He told her with as much emotion as he could express, "But first, I need you to meet my Maker. To do that, we must travel to Dallas, and before we can even consider taking you into such a nest, there are things I must teach you."

Eric waited as Sookie stared into his eyes. Without hesitation, she answered his unasked question, "Teach me everything. To fight, to behave... Whatever it takes for us to be together."

**TBC**

_A/N: What? No sex? What the hell, Andi!? Well, despite the absence of some juicy lemons, I hope that you all are still compelled to review!_

_-Andi_


	7. Chapter 7

****Keep Me

_A/N: Welcome, Readers, to chapter seven of __Keep Me!__ I have got a shorter chapter today, sorry! (Although... That probably means I will give you all two chapters this week!) This chapter was sort of an after thought. I realized that I had some things I intended to include, and then forgot about, and then remembered after a few chapters were written. And that was the conception of the chapter you are about to read! I swear- it is a thought out chapter, and not a train wreck of loose end bow ties! Please enjoy!_

_-Andi_

**Chapter Seven:**

Sookie stretched tiredly against the still body beside her. It was about 3:30 in the afternoon, and the sun still had a ways to go across the sky before it permitted her lover to rise. Getting up from the bed, Sookie went to the closet to pick out an outfit for her meeting with Angie's coven. She wanted to look grown up to help hide the fact that she was barely literate, as well as, hopefully, distract from her social awkwardness. Figuring if she dressed like a normal, well brought up lady, that was what the witches would see her as, Sookie began rummaging through her closet on a mission.

A sudden, loud trill disrupted Sookie in her effort to pick out an outfit. Turning to the phone on the nightstand, Sookie reached over and answered it after seeing that the number belonged to Angie.

"_Good morning, Sugar_." Angie laughed when Sookie answered, "_We all still on for tonight?_" She asked.

"As far as I know." Sookie assured, "Eric hasn't said anythin' different about it."

"_Good! Stella is really excited to meet you, y'know?_" Angie's own excitement was clearly noticeable in her voice, "_And the others are obviously really keyed up to meet you, too!_"

Sookie giggled nervously, "I'm pretty excited myself. A bit nervous though." She admitted reluctantly.

"_Nothing to be nervous about. It's not like it's a formal shindig or anything. Just t-shirt and jeans, and none of that Yeah-Yes stuff._" Angie reassured, referring to Sookie's occasional corrections of her speech.

"Oh, well, I don't really do t-shirts and jeans." Sookie giggled, ignoring the comment on her corrections. She _wanted_ to learn to speak properly, even if it meant sounding even more awkward at first, "I like skirts and dresses better. I'm actually really lookin' forward to summer 'cause Eric bought me a buncha pretty dresses, but it's still too cool to wear them." She explained. "I hafta wear leggin's and those thick tights still when I wear skirts and stuff."

Angie's smile was easily heard in her voice, "_Well, I was just calling to make sure you were still coming. Remember, Espressyo Self at 8:30._" She reminded one last time before they said their goodbyes and hung up.

Deciding to worry about her clothing later, Sookie left Eric's chamber to get something to eat, as well as find something to occupy the 5 hours she had to kill. A good chunk of the time was spent looking at some of the magazines Pam had left out for her the previous night. Sookie still could not comprehend the "art" of some of the designers, but she just shrugged it off. As long as she was not the one who would have to wear the uncomfortable looking clothes and shoes, she was not about to complain about them.

As six o'clock began working its way around, Sookie went back to the bedroom to decide on an outfit at last. Grabbing a white shirt dress, a thick black belt, black leggings and the white knee high boots that Pam had insisted she needed, Sookie went to shower.

While she washed her hair, Sookie did not even jump when Eric slid the glass door open and stepped in behind her. His hands glided over her wet skin, cupping her breasts while her own hands continued to massage and lather her scalp and hair.

"You could not wait for me, Lover?" Eric asked as he pinched her budding nipples, finally earning a moan that he had known was on the tip of her tongue since he first entered the shower.

"I was too nervous about tonight to wait." She told him sheepishly before putting her head beneath the spray to rinse out the suds. Eric helped her rinse all of the soap clean before lathering his own head. "It was hard tryin' to find stuff to do until I could even think to let myself start gettin' ready."

"I see." Eric chuckled as he soaped up his body.

"Did you see what I picked out?" Sookie asked.

"I did."

"What do you think?"

"You will look quite charming, but not overly mature in that ensemble. I think it is appropriate for one your age to wear such a thing." Eric told her, though she could tell that he was not interested in her clothing, for the most part. The only time Eric ever commented on her outfits was either to tell her she looked "like a Goddess who had stepped from the heavens to grace his eyes", or to say that an article of clothing would be, "inappropriate for His Sookie to be seen in". Sometimes he would just say "lovely" or "scintillating", the latter being a word she had yet to learn the definition of, but judging by the hungry look he gave her when he said it- it was definitely a _good_ word.

"Okay," Sookie began shaving her legs while the conditioner set in her hair.

Eric finished in the shower, and left to begin drying his hair while Sookie finished up. He could tell that she was a bit too nervous about the evening to give in to his advances, and he accepted that... For now at least. He could smell the tapering of Sookie's menstrual flow, and he was determined to taste her one more time before it ceased entirely.

When Sookie emerged from the shower as well, Eric combed her hair and helped her blow dry it. Between the blood she had taken from him, and her new nutritional habits, Sookie's hair had thickened and strengthened shortly after coming to live with him. The healthy glow of her golden hair had Eric wanting his fingers tangled in it as often as possible.

"You smell delicious, Lover." Eric purred as he twisted locks of her hair between his dexterous fingers.

Sookie giggled, her face blushing both from the heat of the hairdryer as well as her lover's words. Biting her lip, she just continued to let him dry her hair until he was finished. When her tresses remained only partially damp in spots, he turned off the appliance and spun Sookie in his arms.

"We still have another hour..." Sookie told him gently. Though Eric could tell that she was still just as nervous as before, who was he to decline if she wanted a distraction? "If you wanted to have a snack before we go out, that is." She offered in a low, husky tone.

Eric growled low in his chest, and without a word lifted Sookie so that her bottom was on the very edge of the bathroom counter. Before Sookie could relax with her back against the mirror, Eric's lips and tongue were against her sex, his tongue snaking inside of her hot channel and coaxing the blood from it.

"Ah! Ah, Eric." She whimpered, rocking her head against the cool glass behind her.

Now his fingers were in her, rocking and twirling, plunging and wriggling within her sex. She could hear his growls of satisfaction and hunger while he feasted upon her. She mewled helplessly as he devoured her pussy with unrestrained vigor.

Sookie's cries of pleasure grew louder and louder as Eric remained happily between her thighs, and she let loose an orgasm fueled scream as he finally used his free hand to stimulate her clit. Eric growled happily as he enjoyed his come and blood cocktail, rubbing his tongue relentlessly against Sookie's pulsating, lower lips.

Eric drank for nearly an hour on Sookie's nether regions before he finally decided he needed to let her finish preparing for the meeting. Her legs were almost entirely useless at this point, and Eric had to help her get cleaned up again and dressed. Without much pause, Eric was prepared to leave as well, still sucking on his fingers though the visible evidence of his activities had been cleaned away, the flavor still remained on his digits.

"Please stop lickin' your fingers." Sookie said embarrassedly as he opened the passenger door of his Corvette for her.

"Mm, but Lover, I cannot stop. They taste too good." Eric wriggled his brows at her mischievously, but relented his finger licking as he drove.

Sooner than Sookie would have expected, they were pulling up to a small coffee house, and Eric was opening her door for her again. Rising from the car, Sookie smoothed out her clothing self-consciously, and took Eric's hand gratefully. "Make sure to scan them for any kind of misgivings, Lover." Eric reminded her as he opened the door to the coffee shop and allowed her to walk in before him, though never releasing her hand.

Angie's coven had yet to arrive, so Eric ordered Sookie a coffee and smiled amusedly as she took a sip and lit up with that expression he so enjoyed seeing on her face. One of confused marvel. He loved that look because it was quickly followed by a feeling of excited novelty that he also got to experience through her.

"This is _so good_!"She told him happily.

"I will need to invest in a coffee maker, then." Eric chuckled as she took another deep swig from her cup while he ran his thumb in little circles along the pulse point of her wrist, keeping her mental white noise at bay.

"You are Sookie?" A voice, low and husky asked from a bit of a distance. Eric eyed the middle aged woman who stood about six feet away.

"Yes." Sookie rose, "Are you one of Angie's friends?" She asked carefully, blanching when Eric released her hand.

"I am Stella." The woman nodded her head. "Angie is on her way now, but the few from the group who have arrived were a tad nervous coming any closer to your companion." She eyed Eric, barely daring to trust getting any closer, and never looking him in the eye.

"Well, I don't go anywhere without Eric." Sookie frowned as she was finally able to focus on Stella's mental narration, "So, if your coven is scared of him, then they won't like me much."

"I can tell that your companion is very old, and I cannot risk allowing him access to my circle." Stella's own frown showed regret. "I had hoped to bring you into our coven. It is true what Angie said about your aura. You'd make a _very_ powerful witch. However, as I have explained, I cannot risk allowing one so deeply entwined with a nightwalker into our fold. I kindly ask that you think of Angie, and the danger you could be putting her in. I wish you the very best in coming to understand and control your abilities." Sookie could hear the fear Stella expressed, about her worry for Angie, but mostly Stella's worry about being accosted by a vampire. Stella had only seen one other vampire in her life, but only because her mother had pointed her out. Angie had said that the natural witch she had met had a supernatural companion, and it was easy to tell by Eric's pale face and old eyes exactly what sort of supernatural he was.

Eric did not need the blood tie, nor did he need to see Sookie's trembling lip to know that she was feeling completely discarded. After all of her years of feeling unloved and unwanted, abused and mistreated, it stung Sookie even harder to be rejected over the first being to ever care about her.

"For an alleged empath," Eric growled deep in his throat, "you certainly enjoy destroying my lover's self-worth." He snarled.

Stella squared off her shoulders and raised her chin with dignity, "It is not your lover that I am insulting or suspicious of."

"When ya look down on Eric, ya look down on me." Sookie steadied her voice, steeling her gaze from her seat and Eric could feel her mustering every ounce of pride and strength she had to keep that voice firm. "If ya can't trust him, then ya certainly can't trust me 'cause I would do anythin' he asks of me without question or glamour. So if ya suspect him of any misgivin's, then yer certainly right not t' trust me." Eric petted Sookie's hair gently, trying to ease some of the harsher emotions she was experiencing. "I'll stay away from Angie. I promise ya that." Sookie rose from her seat and inclined her head to Stella gently before walking towards the door. Eric could tell by which women shrank away, which ones were part of Stella's coven, even without the smell of patchouli and fresh herbs clinging to their scent. Only, Sookie knew that they only blanched at their passing because Stella had told them exactly what Eric was before they could enter, and that they should fear him.

"Sookie-" Eric began, but was cut off by:

"SOOKIE!" Angie came running down the sidewalk towards them, out of breath. "Hey, sorry I'm late." She panted, "Stella asked me to close up the shop for her- had someone to meet with before our circle gathering." She explained. "What's up? Where you going?"

"Your high priestess has made it abundantly clear that she does not wish for Sookie to socialize with your coven." Eric snapped. "I would have appreciated a bit more understanding of my lover's feelings before you invited her out to have her self-esteem trampled upon."

"Eric, ya don't have t' get mad 'bout this." Sookie mumbled. It was not the first, nor did Sookie believe it would be the last time people would shun her or turn away from her for one reason or another. In fact, she was more concerned about the fact that Angie's own gift was being used by Stella and her coven to make themselves feel more "powerful".

"Whaaat?" Angie looked positively confused. "Stella and the coven were saying how excited they were to meet you!"

"But did you tell them about me?" Eric pointed out.

"Well... I mentioned that she had a Supernatural companion... But I know how they get about vamps, so I kinda skirted the details." Angie admitted sadly. "I didn't think-"

"No, you did not." Eric snapped.

"Listen," Angie began beseechingly, "I swear, I never even thought they would push Sookie away. I didn't believe that... That it would be _possible_ for them to turn away a Sister in need. Sookie," she turned her eyes on the telepath, "you can hear me, you know I'm telling the truth. Really, I want to help you. _I_ want to help you. I know your vamp glamoured me to protect you, but I still trust _you_, even when it means trusting him, too. Please, give me the chance to prove it."

"You let me meet Stella. Just like you said you would." Sookie said firmly, but Eric could feel the pain that was making her heart thrum frantically in her ribcage, "You owe me nothin' more."

"Back so soon?" Pam's bored drawl came from the living room where she was painting her nails a Mary Kay pink.

Eric explained the encounter with Angie's coven leader, and Pam was downright annoyed. "Stupid witches. It sounds like their High Priestess is unaware of how good of a business partner a vampire can be for them."

Eric nodded, "Indeed. Which makes me wonder of their authenticity. Angie claimed that Stella is an empath, but her interaction with you, Sookie, leaves me in doubt. Empaths are not usually hostile towards others because it only causes negative emotions to be directed towards them, which is not something an empath would want to encourage."

"You think she was just a good reader?" Pam asked amusedly.

"Maybe not even that... However, Angie's powers seem quite real. She recognized Sookie as a witch, as well as me as a vampire just by looking at us. That is quite a feat, even for a new witch." Eric said speculatively.

"Sounds to me like it's a bunch of hippies using the only witch in the group as their poster child." Pam shrugged. "Of course, you did say that the members of the coven all recognized you as a vampire." She pointed out.

Eric made a dismissive gesture, "Lost children of the craft." He grunted, "They could have had formal training, but no ability for it. They are probably a commune of powerless witches, or ceremonial practitioners rather than casters."

"But can't Angie tell they have no real abilities?" Sookie asked, her voice distressed. "She said I stood out, sure, but-"

"Do you not think that you stood out so brightly because Angie has been misled to believe that auras with the slightest extra glow to them were magical? If Angie received most of her formal training from Stella, then the little witch might be grossly under informed." Eric cut her off to explain.

"Stella's the only one with formal training. She tipped the other coven members off before she came into the coffee house." Sookie admitted sadly, "She's got a touch of empathy, weaker than Angie's. You're right. She's using Angie as the "face" of her coven to draw in new members... Angie doesn't understand it at all."

"See? It is best that you not interact with them at all!" Pam flicked her wrist in a manner that seemed to illustrate how simple the conclusion should have been.

"Well, either way, it doesn't look like I'm gonna get to learn to be a witch after all." Sookie frowned.

"I wouldn't hang up your conical hat just yet, my pretty." Pam smirked, "Eric is quite well connected. I am sure he can introduce you to a tutor some time in the near future."

"However," Eric interrupted her, "I think you should learn how to be a normal girl before we focus so much attention on making it more difficult for you to blend into society." He straightened up a bit, "Such as forming your basic education and skills. Besides, you still need to learn about interacting with vampires and how to fight. That is quite enough for one young mind to have to focus on at the moment, yes?"

"Yes, Eric." Sookie sighed dejectedly. She was still disappointed about how her hopeful chance at obtaining a friend had been dashed.

Eric sighed at his lover's sullen mood, "Sookie, there will be plenty of time to make friends. Once you are completely mine, you will have a very long, youthful existence ahead of you."

"Besides," Pam added, "humans do not make the best of friends anyway. By the time you get used to them, they die on you."

"I'm human." Sookie mumbled.

"You are more than that, Lover. Never believe anything differently." Eric kissed her forehead, "Now, go grab your books and we will start your lessons for the evening before I must go about my Sheriff's duties."

Sookie rose from the couch to get the textbooks Eric had gotten her, and came back to the living room to begin her tutoring.

Eric spent two hours coaching Sookie on mathematics and history until he had to leave, and Pam took over her lessons, focusing on english and science.

After a half hour of studying, Pam finally let out an annoyed sound, "Are you still sulking over the wannabe witches?" She demanded.

"I just wanted to make friends." Sookie said quietly. "I get so lonely durin' the day."

Pam snorted, "You have your books! You are learning to read quite well, and soon you will be able to discover things for yourself. Once you have the basics down and we teach you to drive, you will be able to go out during the day while we rest. Be patient!"

Sookie nodded in agreement, but she was still not cheered up.

"Ugh!" Pam stood up sharply, "What do you want? Where can I take you, or what can I give you to make you less depressing!? This mood you are in is absolutely exasperating!"

Sookie shrugged halfheartedly. She had never really had any comforting rituals other than lying in the sunlight until she met Eric. Now-a-days, when she needed comfort, she usually made love with Eric.

"C-can I have a hug?" Sookie asked with her new and improved puppy dog eyes, but Pam groaned at the very idea.

"You are acting like an infant." She ground out, but still closed the gap between them and held her arms open unenthusiastically. Sookie stepped into the circle of Pam's unwilling arms and squeezed her tightly while Pam looked heavenward while her arms draped loosely around the girl's shoulders and patted her back with an awkward and vexed hand. "There. Are you better now?" She asked dryly.

Sookie smiled slightly when she stepped back into her own personal space, and Pam took that as a sign that the girl was at least a little comforted.

"Humans." Pam mumbled as she dropped back to the couch to continue Sookie's lesson.

After another twenty minutes of Pam enduring Sookie's wiping of stray tears, the house phone rang. Picking it up, Pam snapped, "What do you want?"

"_This has __**got**__ to be Pam."_ A voice laughed, _"This is Angie, can I speak with Sookie?"_

"The witch that has left me in the company of a sullen woman all evening... So help me, Witch, if you make her cry again and I am forced to administer another hug, I will find you and kill you slowly." Pam growled.

"_Umm, none of that was on my agenda..."_ Angie replied tentatively.

"It is your witch." Pam thrust the phone in Sookie's hands, "No crying." She ordered before leaving the den.

"Hello?" Sookie greeted carefully.

"_Hey, Sookie."_ Angie greeted just as nervously, _"You implied that you wouldn't call me again, so I decided to do it instead... I just wanted to tell you... Well, I'm leaving Stella's coven. I'm a healer, and I don't pick and choose those I help based on who they are or who they know. And I can't be part of a group that does that. I know I'm not the wisest witch, and not even that well learned, but I still want to help you however I can, and a little is better than nothing, right?"_

Sookie was quiet for a minute before replying, "If I didn't want to learn about becoming a witch, would you still want to hang out or talk with me?"

"_Of course!"_ Angie was surprised, _"I just thought that you were interested after I told you that you were a witch. I thought we would be able to work on your telepathy at least."_

"I would like that, too. I just didn't want to think that you didn't wanna be friends is all." She explained sheepishly.

"_Sooks, we're already friends!" _Angie laughed, _"Once you can handle your gift, it'll just mean you can enjoy the company of friendship even more because you won't have to listen to my every thought as well as listen to my blabber mouth."_

A tearful smile cracked Sookie's lips, and she said, "I look forward to that."

"_Wait, Sookie, you're looking forward to the future?" _Angie feigned shock.

"I've had a lot more reasons to lately." Sookie gave a watery laugh, "I have to get back to studyin', though. I'll call you tomorrow?"

"_'Til then, Sooks!"_ Angie hung up after that, and Sookie followed suit, turning towards the archway to the kitchen to find Pam again.

The vampiress was standing in the archway, her stoic expression looking a bit forced, "Good, you have a friend now. So, get back to your book and tell me all of the proper nouns on page twenty-four."

_~Northman,_

_I am absolutely shocked that an attempt on your existence was made. Per your request, I have assigned André to find an appropriate candidate to investigate the matter. The use of a Were to attempt the assassination is definitely grounds for use of an Investigator. André has already chosen William Compton to be used in this role, and he will be arriving in two weeks. I find this particularly _interesting_ as Compton is normally part of my department of procurement. Is there something I should be aware of, Northman? Keep me informed... And keep an eye on Compton._

_Delete this message,_

_H.R.H Sophie-Anne Le Clerq~_

**A/N: Since I ended the chapter in italics, I opted to bold my closing A/N... It feels so unfamiliar yet... EMPOWERING! I want to write ALL of my A/N's in BOLD from now on! I want to state my observations with an ironclad hand of conviction! ... And maybe, just maybe more of my readers will respond to this statement following if it were in bold: **

**PLEASE, REMEMBER TO REVIEW!**

**-ANDI**


	8. Chapter 8

****Keep Me

_A/N: Welcome, Readers, to chapter eight of Keep Me! Seeing as chapter seven was so short, I decided to give you all a second chapter this week! I hope that you enjoy it as much as you enjoyed Tuesday's chapter! Enjoy!_

_-Andi  
_

**Chapter Eight:**

Pam read the newspaper with minimal interest. It had been a while since she last bothered with keeping up on local news since arriving in Shreveport two months ago. The vampiress had better things to do with her time in those 8 weeks. Primarily, she had been occupied with teaching Sookie, as well as assisting her Master with training his soon-to-be-Bonded. Though Eric had expressed his desire to go without aid from his Child, he had brought Pam in to play the role of the unknown vampire so that Sookie could learn proper protocol in introductions and interactions. Sometimes, during their self defense training, Eric even had Pam stand in as a sparring partner. Eric's over all height advantage making it all the more difficult for Sookie to learn even the most basic of retaliations.

Then, there was the matter with Bill Compton. Shortly after that vampire arrived in the area, Pam had been assigned to remain with Sookie whenever Eric was forced to be away from her. This intrigued Pam, but Eric kept all knowledge to his actions to himself, but Pam was not stupid. Bill was interested in Sookie, and Eric did not want him to meet her until Eric and Sookie were Bonded. If Compton made any attempts to take her from him after that, there would be no trials or audiences. Eric would be fully entitled to end Compton's existence. No questions asked.

Frowning at the title of an article, Pam went over to Sookie, "Your last name wouldn't happen to be 'Stackhouse', would it?" Pam asked, handing the newspaper to Sookie.

Her reading ability had increased dramatically in a matter of a couple of weeks, surprising both vampires, and she read the first paragraph of the article quickly before glancing at Pam with a slackened jaw.

"Congratulations, you are the first missing person I've met that I was not involved in killing." Pam leered.

~" '_Sookie Stackhouse, age 17, has still not been found.'"_ Sookie read aloud,_ " 'She was first known to be missing when an explosion that claimed the life of her guardian, Bartlett Hale, alerted social services and police that the teenager had not been present at the time of the explosion._

_Residents of the community claim to never have met the missing girl, and that they had never seen her leave her home or enter town. One source explained that Ms. Stackhouse is a mentally ill young woman, and that Mr. Hale had insisted on keeping her home to prevent Ms. Stackhouse from suffering any damaging episodes. _

"_I only saw her one time when I delivered groceries to [Hale's] house." Said a reliable source,"She seemed shy because she would just peek around the corner of the hallway while I was at the door." _

_It is unclear if Ms. Stackhouse was somehow involved in the explosion, or if she wandered off without Mr. Hale's knowledge, but police, as well as social services, are still looking for her.'"~ _Sookie finished reading the article aloud, complete bafflement written on her face. Eric had joined them in the den when he had heard Sookie reading.

"It is a good thing we have not been out in public all of this time." Eric crossed his arms over his chest. "Otherwise, we may have been accosted by police and unaware of the situation... I am surprised your Witch did not make the connection."

Sookie shrugged, "Angie doesn't really read much in local news. Usually, she just reads the World section, not local. And Angie doesn't watch television, just DVDs. Besides, neither you or Pam have watched the local news at all in the time I've been here."

"Sharp one we've got here." Pam smirked, "What should we do, Eric?"

"We have a few options." Eric set his expression into 'unreadable mode' as he spoke, "We can forge new documents for Sookie and change her appearance and identity. I can step down as a Sheriff in Louisiana and take us all out of state. Or, we can go to the police and explain the situation. A little glamouring here and there would help. Sookie, it is your choice." He nodded his head at his woman.

"I definitely don't want you to stop bein' Sheriff... I'm not too keen on havin' to cut or dye my hair either." She grimaced, "But... Goin' to the police... Couldn't you get in trouble, Eric? I mean... If they find out we're lovers..."

Eric chuckled, "You are 17, Little One, you are of legal age to consent. After they hear your story of why you ran away, I doubt that the police nor social services will question your leaving."

"So... I'd have to tell them... About everythin'?" Sookie asked meekly. Angie was not even privy to Sookie's history with Hale, and that was after two months of the pair talking hours at a time, daily, for two months. Therefore, she was especially uncomfortable letting complete strangers into the details too.

"Yes, Lover." Eric smiled in a sad, but encouraging manner.

"What if they call me mentally unstable?" Sookie asked quietly. "That's what Bartlett always used to threaten me with... Anytime I wanted to call the police... Or just so he could get me to do what he wanted. He'd just threaten to put me back in the hospital."

Pam scoffed, "I think you can handle a couple of hours without raising the mentally disturbed red flags... Plus, you could ask for me to be in the room while they interview you. I will hold your hand to keep things silent. Perhaps you could even delve into their minds to see where their train of thought is."

"Should we do this now? What happens if we're there past dawn?" Sookie pressed.

That last comment made Eric and Pam pause for a moment, but Eric recovered, "Sookie, you are comfortable with Jackson Herveaux, yes?" Sookie nodded. He was the only Were she had officially met, aside from the one that she had killed, and he seemed like a good man... Where it counted, "I can ask him to escort you home if our time gets pressed towards dawn. Pam and I can easily glamour the police into releasing us if the need arises."

Sookie sighed, "I don't want to tell this whole thing out loud, but I'm sick of livin' with my past loomin' over me. Let's get this over with." She rose from the couch.

Her vampires followed her silently towards the front door. Eric brought the Escalade out from the garage. Ever since Sookie had carelessly let the door flop open, and almost hit Eric's Corvette, he had taken to just pulling the Escalade out before letting her get in. It was a source of great amusement for Pam, and she had teased her Maker over how she had never witnessed him move that fast until his Corvette's paint job was at risk of damage.

Pam smirked as a sudden silence grew in the police station. Every officer was staring at Sookie and her vampire companions, forgetting their jobs for a moment to absorb the enormity of the situation. A girl, missing for two months, as far as they knew, suddenly appearing in the police station as if she had just returned from vacation and had no idea she had been missing. Though this was not entirely untrue, Pam still found it amusing.

"Hi, I'm Sookie Stackhouse, and I'm not missin'." Sookie stated when she reached the first, unoccupied officer's desk. "And I'm not mentally ill, either." Her voice was flat on the last part, not enjoying that the world had been informed of her mental disability, which she was finally beginning to see as the gift that it was. In fact, she was using that gift at that moment, and she was very surprised to find that there were several Weres in the building. It was even more shocking that they seemed to be police, and not criminals. Sookie wondered if her perception of Weres had been biased. After all, if there were a lot of Weres that were cops, that had to mean that Weres were _good_, right?

"M-Ms. Stackhouse, where have you been? Your uncle-"

"I heard." Sookie grimaced. "But I left him in that house, alive, with no plan on ever returnin'." The officer noticed Sookie's clenched hand in Eric's. "This is Eric Northman and Pamela Ravenscroft." She said, "They've been takin' care of me."

"We should take this into another room." The officer stood from his desk and began leading them to an interrogation room, "My name is Detective DonLevy, I'm just going to let you folks get settled in here while I grab Graison, he's the primary on your case." He explained before leaving.

Eric sat down beside Sookie, stroking the back of her hand affectionately while Pam leaned back in her chair, exuding boredom while she examined her perfectly manicured nails. A minute later, Detective Graison entered the room and sat across from the trio.

"Ms. Stackhouse, I'm glad to see you in good health." Graison nodded at her, "Your friends?"

"Yes." She nodded back, "We just saw the newspaper this evenin', and came straight to the police station to clear things up." Graison could not get over the healthy fullness of the girl's face, or the genuine, soft smile she wore. True, her smile was a bit uneasy, but that was to be expected of someone who found out that they were "missing". In the picture they had been given by social services, the girl had appeared almost gaunt, and her smile had been wide like her eyes. Her picture spoke volumes of her claimed madness, but the woman sitting before him now... There was no question that it was the same girl, but, in a way, it was a completely different person.

"Similar articles have been printed regularly over the past few weeks. Not to mention, the explosion at your uncle's house was almost two months ago. Why did it take you so long to find out?" Graison asked.

Eric took that question, "I have several businesses scattered across the country. Though the base of my operations is here in Louisiana, we have been traveling the last month and a half while I was surveying properties as well as checking in on my other acquisitions." He lied smoothly, "Sookie accompanied me in that time. We just arrived back this afternoon."

"I have no interest in the news." Pam smirked, "So I didn't notice anything amiss. However, we have Sookie read the newspaper on occasion to help her along in her reading since she detests children's books."

"You can't read, kiddo?" Graison was surprised.

"I'm okay at it now, but no one bothered tryin' to teach me before Eric." Sookie huffed, "I was mistakenly diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic when I was four, and spent several years in a mental institution. I was put on so many drugs that I don't think anyone could have taught me my own name if I hadn't known it already."

Eric rubbed her hand carefully, trying to give her strength. In that moment, he wished that they were already Bonded so that he could ease away the storm of emotions brewing in her little body.

"My gran had me released from the hospital after my parents died in a flash flood, and she took care of me for a couple of years before she passed away from a stroke. I went to live with Bartlett after that."

"And your grandmother never taught you to read? Or your uncle?" Graison was still stuck on this.

"Gran tried to teach me, but my adjustin' to bein' out of the hospital took a long time. When it's all you know, and it's a crazy thing to grow up in that kind of environment, it takes a long time to get used to somethin' different. As for Bartlett... Well... I don't think anyone would approve of the things he _did_ teach me."

"E-excuse me?"

"It's a pity his house exploded." Sookie sighed, "You might have realized why I ran off if you'd seen the house. Was the downstairs bathroom still intact?"

"No..."

"Did you wonder why there was a deadbolt on an inside door?" Sookie glared.

"Because of the explosion, the origin of most of the debris-"

"That's where he'd lock me up when I got my period. He'd make me sleep in the tub and stay in there for days until I was "done", 'cause he didn't want to have to deal with the fact that I wasn't a "little girl". I bet you found rolls of melted up duct tape, though. That wasn't lazy, fix it yerself duct tape, though. He'd make me tape down my boobs and walk around without any pants on. He'd starve me t' try 'n' keep my boobs from gettin' any bigger. He'd make me shave off all my body hair to make me seem younger." Sookie was panting as she spat out the disgusting, degrading things that had been done to her. "And ya know why I went along with all of this? Why I didn't tell social services? Why I didn't _run away_!?" Graison was sitting on the edge of his chair, "Because every time he'd demand these things, he'd tell me I couldn't tell anyone 'cause they'd just think I was a crazy little girl. Then I would be sent back to the mental hospital, and I _could not go back there_." Sookie took her hand from Eric's to hear the detective's thoughts. Her hands cupped her mouth as she tried to slow her ragged breathing and listen to the man. Her focus was all over the place, and Sookie could not stop the trembling in her hands and the jumping of her nervous legs.

He believed her, but he also wondered if Sookie had somehow been responsible. It was impossible. Accidental death through and through. But...

"How did you meet Mr. Northman? Did you know him before you left your uncle's?"

"I didn't know _anyone_ before I left. I left one night... I don't know what made me do it, but somethin' in me just said I was done with it all. I grabbed up some clothes and bundled up, grabbed a bit of food, and just left. I made it out to Shreveport at some point. I don't know how long I was livin' on the street... Maybe a month or so. I fell asleep in the doorway of one of his buildin's and he woke me up and offered me a place to stay. I agreed, and I've been livin' with him ever since." Sookie shrugged. She decided to downplay their meeting so as not to incite more inquiries. "Pam showed up a bit later, and the two of them have been workin' hard, teachin' me how to read and interact with new people. I've even started makin' a good friend." Sookie actually managed to smile a bit, "They've been teachin' me a lot of things, and I'm grateful that I managed to have just enough luck to have somethin' good happen to me, finally."

"Mr. Northman, did you know about this abuse?"

"Sookie told me after a few days. I made a comment in passing that upset her, and managed to convince her to open up to me about it. She eventually told me about her past." Eric replied, his tone even, but his eyes on fire.

"Were you angry? Did you want revenge for her?" Graison pressed.

"I was extremely angry, and yes, any honorable man would want to seek revenge for her. It looks like some higher power saved me from an internal struggle, however." Eric smirked, "Any man that would defile a child deserves such divine retribution to be rained down on him. Fortunately for Bartlett Hale, I did not get to have my way with him." Sookie grasped Eric's hand tightly. "It is quite all right, Lover. I have not been mirandized. Even if I had been, I would say the same exact thing. And seeing as Hale was not torn limb from limb and scattered about the country, I obviously did not get my way."

Pam snorted.

"Did you just call Ms. Stackhouse your lover?" Graison felt a bit nauseous. Northman had to be more than ten years older than the girl.

"Yes, Sookie and I have been lovers since the night she came to stay with me. That was not an arrangement, but it just came to happen that way."

"And you didn't think to tell the police that you had found a runaway?"

"I decided that, given her age, that if she did not desire to be where she had been- I had no desire to send her back there. It takes a strong woman to overcome so many obstacles and reach for something better, even if it means dragging herself through hell first. How could I send a woman who had clawed her way out of the lion's den back in?"

"But you didn't know the situation immediately upon meeting her." Graison pointed out

"You do not need to know details when you have seen physical evidence. This woman was skin and bones when I met her, and she is quite an attractive woman. Yet, despite her beauty, she chose starvation and the streets over resorting to bartering her body. A girl who sustained years of sexual abuse and months on the street managed to come to me a virgin. I honor those who honor themselves, and her pride is what drove me to take her in. She is fierce, and I respect that fire in her."

Graison did not overlook the adoring gaze Sookie placed upon Eric as he praised and idolized her. Neither did it escape him that this man was probably the first person in her life to offer such adoration, and that was what she needed. Who was he to take that from her, or question her for it?

A knock on the door made Sookie jump. Reaching out with her telepathy, she felt the red snarls on the other side of the metal door. After a pause, the door opened and a young man came in holding a manilla envelope, "Got that packet of personal effects that you wanted to return." The man paused only briefly at the presence of the vampires. Sookie did not need to hear anything from his mind to know that this Were was completely familiar with who Eric Northman was.

"Thanks, Howlett." Graison nodded, accepting the envelope. Once the younger officer was gone again, Graison smiled softly at Sookie, "I wanted to give this to you now." He handed her the envelope and Sookie was forced to let go of Eric's hand to open it.

"What is it, Sookie?" Eric asked carefully.

"It's, ummm..." Sookie wiped at a stray tear, "It's my birth certificate." Her heart felt like a slab of marble had been pulled off of it. For the first time in her life, she felt like she actually existed in the world. A yellowed, creased paper that smelled of dust finally gave Sookie the confirmation that she was alive somewhere. Somewhere, she breathed and smiled and cried. The world knew that she was out there...

So why had the world left her behind? "Can I," she cleared her throat uncomfortably, "can I have a moment?" Her voice was dry and thick as that marble slab that had only recently been shirked aside, tried once more to inch its way back across her chest.

"Of course." Graison nodded and stood up to leave.

"Pam." Eric tilted his head ever so slightly to dismiss his Child.

The vampiress rose as well, nodding at Graison, who was holding the door open for her politely.

"That's some girl." Graison began conversationally once the door was closed.

"Yes." Pam nodded.

"That Eric guy... He's good to her?" Graison asked.

"He is."

"Does he take her out?"

Pam eyed the detective for a moment, "Not as much as he would like, but they are building up to it. Sookie does not always do well in large groups. She is unaccustomed to being part of groups, or even away from a single building. I know that it makes her anxious on occasion, but that is something instilled in her by man, not a mental condition she was afflicted with prior to being put into a mental institution."

"I'm not fishing for information on her." Graison grunted, "I'm fishing for information on Northman. That girl's been through enough. I don't want to hear that she thrown aside by a wealthy businessman next."

"Your concern for a stranger is... I suppose it is admirable." Pam smirked, "But Eric will not throw her away. As much as I wish he would at times. He will not."

Graison looked at her, "You don't like Ms. Stackhouse?"

"I like her very much." Pam's smirk grew a bit, "She is very entertaining to have around."

"Then why don't you want Mr. Northman to be with her?" He pressed.

"That is unimportant. It is what he decides that matters." Pam answered.

Graison stared at Pam with curiosity. Pam and Eric spoke so eloquently. It was like he were speaking to royalty when they were talking. Their bored, steely gazes. Their even, articulated tones. Their squared off shoulders and unwavering posture. Graison shook his head at the observations.

After a few more moments of giving the pair in the interrogation room time to collect Sookie's composure, Graison decided it was time to wrap things up. Entering the room, Pam at his heels, Graison said, "Well, if you'll just leave me your contact information in the event that we have any follow up questions, you are free to go." Graison went back to his side of the table and slid over a form that Eric filled out since Sookie's handwriting was still awkward and leaning towards the side of illegible.

After information was given, Eric wrapped his arm around Sookie's waist and guided her towards the exit. Sookie shied away from the officer that appeared from the observation room. It was Howlett again, but she tried her hardest not to be afraid of him. The officer that had watched them leave turned to Detective Graison and asked, "You're just letting them go? She's mentally ill, shouldn't she be-"

"I spent nearly an hour with that girl." Graison snapped, "There was nothing wrong with her. Something about this "mental illness" isn't right. Remember what that guy said? The one that's been hounding us the past six weeks?"

"Yeah, that blond guy. What about him?" The younger officer remembered. Now that he thought about it, without the vampire stench in his nostrils, the boy smelled just as sweet, if not sweeter than the girl that was now leaving the station.

"He said he knew she wasn't crazy. She was special, not crazy." Graison smiled a bit to himself.

"What do you mean?" The officer gawked for a moment. Graison was one of the best, human, detectives in the station, and had a knack for having accurate gut instincts.

"She had all her mental faculties. She was meek, a bit shy, but Northman said she has _fire_, and I'm inclined to believe him. Ms. Stackhouse has survived a lot of things, more than any one person should have to experience in their lifetime. I don't think she had a damned thing to do with the explosion at the Hale residence. The girl couldn't even read up until a couple months ago, so how do you think she would know how to orchestrate an explosion without getting herself killed? And Northman, well, he said flat out he would have ripped that mother fucker apart given the chance. That's not something you say if you're worried about being caught. My feeling is, that if he _did_ have anything to do with it- we won't be able to prove a damned thing. So just trust me and leave the case alone. Accidental death."

The Were had to agree with that observation on Northman. It was true. There would never be any evidence if he had indeed killed Hale. Though the younger officer was certain of Eric's involvement, there would be no use trying to prove it. Maybe, in a few years after the Great Reveal, vampires might be prosecuted properly, but he seriously doubted if even then Northman would be stupid enough to get caught.

Still, Howlett was more concerned about trying to get Northman back under the microscope. Not for the murder/accident, of course. But for more time to check out that Stackhouse girl. The way Howlett had watched Northman allow the human girl to cry onto his clothes, and the way Northman had soothed back her blonde hair as he pressed his lips to her head- it just made the fire of curiosity burn in his gut! He wanted to know, so badly, how this girl had charmed a thousand year old vampire! And the words he kept hearing her utter:

"_I exist, I exist... I exist..."_ Over and over again until she had calmed.

"Is it over now?" Sookie asked quietly on the car ride back to Eric's home. It was going on 1 AM, and she was drained from the strain of keeping her shields up in such a crowded location.

"Almost, my lover, I just have one final question for you." Sookie looked at Eric worriedly, and Eric saw Pam shift in the back seat curiously. "What did make you leave at the time that you did? Had you waited until your 18th birthday, you may have had an easier time leaving. I understand that your hardships may have-"

Sookie interrupted Eric as he spoke, a rarity he had only witnessed once before, "He was gonna sell me."

"What?" Pam looked at Sookie, disgust in her eyes. Eric merely frowned, having heard this from Bartlett's own lips. He had not realized this had been the final straw that removed Sookie from her Uncle's grasp, although he had suspected.

"Bartlett was workin' out a deal with some _man_ in the next county. This guy didn't like them as young as Bartlett, and they were workin' out a transaction." Sookie was staring out the window, her jaw clenched tightly as her lips trembled.

"Did you ever meet this man?" Eric asked quietly, that had not been divulged during his interrogation. Eric had merely plucked the man's name from Bartlett's glamoured lips, and then logged it to memory for potential use in the future.

"Only once. Bartlett invited him over to check me over. Of course, they weren't openly talkin' 'bout it, but I could hear their thoughts, and I was so sc-scared." Her voice finally broke, and Sookie put her fingers to her lips, resisting the urge to bite the nails. Pam would slap her hand every time she caught Sookie chewing her nails. "Bartlett only liked t' look at me 'cause nothin' of his worked down there... But this guy, he was already thinkin' 'bout what he wanted t' do with me." Sookie leaned forward, pressing her forehead to her knees as she began to sob. "He wanted t' hurt me. I could see his fantasies of me tied down beneath him, screamin' and cryin'..." She began to pant harder, "How he wanted t-t' "tear me up" 'n' make me bl-bleed."

Eric was gripping the steering wheel hard, and when he looked in the rearview mirror, he could see his Pam discretely wiping at bloody tears that were forming in her eyes. Pam had never been what anyone would call sympathetic, let alone maternal, and Eric had never seen his Child react in such a way before. He was unsure if it was because of the story, or because Pam had come to like Sookie, but Eric could feel through his Maker/Child bond that Pam had been shaken to the core.

Eric nodded slowly. "I am very proud of you, Little One, you showed great strength tonight. Not just by keeping your shields intact, but by describing your history so strongly. It took a lot of courage to retell that darkness in your past. It took even more courage to tell Pam and I what you could not tell the police."

Sookie blushed a bit over the praise, but kept her gaze trained on her knees as she straightened up. She was still hiccuping with sobs, but Eric could feel the sense of reassurance Sookie had flowing through her, and he took her hand to squeeze it gently.

"Sookie," Eric began carefully, "I have been considering this for a while, and would like to take you to Dallas next week."

"Really? I've never been out of Louisiana before!" Sookie beamed, forgetting the hardships of the evening for that brief moment.

"I will be introducing you to Godric." Eric continued.

"Oh, so I'm gonna meet more vampires?" She faltered a bit, still not completely assured with herself that she was ready to meet more of the undead.

"A few. Godric's nest is larger. He likes to keep a closer watch on his subordinates than I do, and tends to keep the more spontaneous ones nearby to monitor them. With the Reveal coming up, he wants his Area in order. I too have been monitoring my Area more closely lately to control any upheaval or scandals." Eric explained.

"Do you think I'm ready for this?"

"I do." He nodded sharply. "We will be leaving Monday."

"Monday?" Sookie gasped. "So soon?"

"Yes, it is the only opening he and I will both have for the next five months or so, and I would rather not put it off any longer. Especially with Compton getting so curious about my reasons for staying in my home." Eric explained, "Also, Pam has found a house of her own and is planning on leaving us next week. So I will be helping her move after we return."

"Pam... Yer leavin' us?" The vampires were surprised at the desperation in the girl's voice. True, Pam and Sookie's relationship had been turbulent, to be kind, at first, but Sookie had come to see the vampiress as a dear friend soon after.

"Not to worry, Little Sookie, I will still be around. Also, after Eric has introduced you to his Maker, I am sure it will not be uncommon for you to accompany us on Sheriff's business." Pam explained.

"Why after I meet Godric?" Sookie frowned.

"I will explain that on the trip to Dallas." Eric evaded the answer.

"Are you comin' to Dallas with us, Pam?" Sookie asked.

"No, I am not. As I understand it, Eric knew this would be your first trip out of state, and he thought it would be nice for just the two of you to go. Besides, I must keep the Area in order in Eric's absence." She explained.

"I'm gonna be so bored during the day." Sookie sighed sadly. She doubted Godric would trust her enough with his pass codes so that she could leave the house, and she thought it would be terribly impolite to make long distance calls to Angie during her stay.

"I have arranged for you to have a driver to take you shopping and see the sights." Eric assured.

"It's not the same." She pouted a bit childishly, "A driver isn't gonna tease me or play word games with me."

Eric chuckled, "That is true, but I will be dead for the day, as always. You will have my credit cards, though, and may buy whatever you like. There are many more stores in Dallas."

Sookie shrugged, "I like spendin' time with you, not yer money."

Pam made a gagging noise in the back seat, "You just haven't found your vice yet. May I introduce you to my shoe collection?"

"I've seen yer shoes, Pam." Sookie giggled.

"Might _I_ suggest you go to La Perla?" Eric wriggled his eyebrows.

"The closest one to Dallas is in San Marcos... That's a 3 hour drive depending on who's behind the wheel." Pam rolled her eyes. "Godric's residence has a swimming pool, though. She could spend the days swimming, or tanning. I know she likes to lay about in the sun."

"I don't know how to swim." Sookie interjected.

Pam looked put out. "Little Sookie, we have so much to teach you." She sighed.

Sookie smiled, "I look forward to it." She grinned as Eric pulled up to the front of his home.

"Master," Pam sighed, "I am going to change and then go find a meal."

"As you wish, Pam." Eric nodded, opening Sookie's door as Pam's flung open and the vampiress was in the house before Sookie could accept Eric's hand. "My child is so impatient." He sighed, leaving the car running since Pam would be using it shortly.

As the pair walked up the steps to the front door, Sookie felt the gust of air as Pam flew past them. When the Escalade was pulling out of the driveway, the young woman turned to her vampire and laid beseeching eyes upon him, "Make love to me?"

Eric did not need the link he had to feel her need. It was not a carnal need that shone in her eyes, it was strangely subdued in fact. It had been a while since he had seen his lover so unsure about asking for pleasure. Only, he knew it was not pleasure she was seeking tonight. She needed acceptance, to feel wanted. Sookie needed to feel his want for her, to reassure that he was not repulsed by her- even though he had proven many times before that he had never seen her past as a disgrace against her.

"_All night, my Lover._" Eric purred, wrapping his arm around her waist, and tugging Sookie against his body before he claimed her lips. Her arms wrapped around his neck, holding him tightly to her.

"Gently?" She asked in a breathless whisper when he released her lips.

"Mmm," he moaned, "my pleasure." Happy to oblige any request as he lifted her from the ground and carried her through the front door, kicking it shut. Sookie's arms remained wrapped around his neck as he carried her into his bedroom. As he placed her on the bed, Eric lightly patted her hands as they went to remove her clothes, "No, Lover, stay just like that for now." He winked, making Sookie bite her lips in anticipation as she relaxed back against the bed.

The girl watched as Eric moved about his room slowly. She always found it soothing when he moved at a human pace because she felt less rushed... Although, she did not mind him moving at vampire speed when he was inside her. Tonight, though, she wanted slow and gentle, and her vampire was delivering just that.

Eric lit a few candles and adjusted the light dimmer to a soft glow. Turning to the wall stereo, he turned a soft station on, it was instrumental, but not classical. Sookie could not place the genre, but she was not paying particular notice to the music.

As Eric sauntered over to the bed, Sookie held her arms out for him, which he gladly fell in to. Their lips met gently as Eric let a bit more of his weight rest against her than usual. She wanted to feel his closeness tonight, all of him, and he was doing his best to comply with her wishes.

They kissed for what seemed like an eternity before Eric reluctantly left her lips and kissed around her face, along her jaw and to her throat. She moaned appreciatively as he paid this area particular attention. Eric licked and nibbled at her neck, but did not allow his elongating fangs to penetrate it. Tonight was about Sookie, and he was in no need of nourishment at the moment.

Finally, having played with her carotid long enough and felt its thrilling pulse against his tongue, Eric continued lavishing her skin with his tongue. He kissed the thin strap of her dress down her shoulder before repeating this action on the other side, a gentle gesture that made Sookie's heart pound.

Sookie whimpered and rolled her hips slightly as Eric continued to take things slowly. It was difficult for her to keep her body still and just enjoy his ministrations. She wanted to touch him too!

Acting on this impulse, Sookie reached out and began combing her fingers through Eric's long, golden hair. Her fingertips twirled the long strands as he pushed her dress down... down... down and kissed the valley between her breasts. As he sucked a hardening nipple between his cool lips, Sookie shuddered helplessly beneath him. He nibbled and sucked tenderly before giving the same treatment to its twin.

By the time Eric was finished lavishing her breasts with his attention, Sookie was a trembling wreck upon their bed. Eric could not help his self-satisfied grin as he continued dragging her sundress down the length of her body. When only her dainty pink thong remained, Eric nuzzled against the fabric, breathing in the heavy smell of her arousal and licking her through the fabric. With a resounding mewl, Sookie arched pitifully against the mattress. Eric, however, continued to tease and keep her dangling in her delicious delirium while his cool hands massaged her inner thighs.

"Eric, oh! Eric!" She murmured helplessly.

Delighted with her responses, the vampire caught the thin bands of her panties and tore them effortlessly, flinging the useless scrap of fabric away before burrowing his mouth against her sex. Sookie cried out in relief, finally receiving what she had anticipated for seemingly an eternity.

Her cries and mewls of pleasure rung in Eric's sensitive ears as he flickered his tongue and invaded her entrance with his worshiping fingers. After he had made her climax twice, he finally gave in to his own want and began removing his clothing.

Sookie sat up slowly and began assisting him in his disrobing. She licked her lips excitedly as she began undoing his belt buckle, and Eric merely gazed down at her after removing his shirt. When she had opened his pants, Sookie immediately took him into her mouth, stroking his base as she began pleasuring him.

"You are a wonder, my Sookie." Eric groaned as her tricky little tongue danced against his sensitive skin.

After climaxing in her mouth, Eric gently pushed Sookie back onto the mattress as he leaned over her. Slowly, he pressed the tip of his member against her wet slit, rocking sedately back and forth, going steadily deeper with each stroke. Sookie whimpered at his pace, but did nothing to entice him into speeding up. She was enjoying the slow torture.

Soon, Eric was all the way inside of her, rocking with an abrupt thrust at the deepest point of his stroke, forcing a longing cry from his lover. He did this repeatedly, adding the ministrations of his fingers to her clit as he did so.

Sookie nearly screamed when he did this, and soon she was plummeting down the mysterious path of multiple orgasms. Eric groaned as her internal muscles squeezed and contracted around his cock in an agonizingly sweet grip.

With a series of irrepressible jerks of his hips, Eric came inside of her with a satisfied moan. The lovers recovered slowly, Eric's cool body splayed out beside Sookie's hot, sweating one as she tentatively turned onto her side and nestled her head against his chest.

"I cannot believe how much better you get every time I have you." Eric nuzzled her hair gently, "Every time I begin to think you could not please me more, you surprise me." He closed his eyes as he took a deep breath of her scent. Sookie chuckled against his chest, too tired to giggle like she had intended. "Are you nervous about Monday?" He asked quietly.

"Should I be..? Do you think Godric won't like me?" She asked, worried now.

Eric sighed, "I did not mean to alarm you. No, lover, you should not be worried about my Maker. I am curious to how he will respond to you, though. He was quite amused when I turned Pam, for I had been alone for so long up until then. When he met my Child, he was very happy. I am curious how he will react when he finds that I will be Bonding to a human."

"Can he object?" Sookie asked breathlessly.

"He is my Maker. He may do whatever he pleases." Eric shrugged. "However, he would not do that to me. Godric is quite... Intrigued by humans. I am certain that he will be even more captivated with one that has so thoroughly enthralled me."

"Eric, do you really mean it when you say you want to Bond to me?" Sookie asked quietly.

"Lover, I would not be taking you to meet my Maker if I were not serious. I did not introduce Pam to Godric until she was nearly 50 years old, and here I am dragging you to Dallas unprepared so that I do not have to wait another 5 months!"

"Can I ask you a question?" Sookie murmured.

"You know that you are always welcome to ask questions." Eric smiled down at her.

"I'm not sayin' that I'm truly thinkin' about it yet, but I want to know if bein' Bonded would cause any differences." Sookie bit her bottom lip, a trait Eric found absolutely adorable of his little lover. "If I ever decided that I wanted you to make me into a vampire," Eric would have skipped a heartbeat if his heart still could when she uttered that wonderful phrase, "would bein' Bonded make it any different than your relationship with Pam?"

"Oh, yes, Lover." Eric's voice was huskier than normal, since the topic was one that made his entire body thrum with energy, "Very different."

"How so?" Sookie looked up at him awkwardly, planting her chin into his pectoral muscle to do so.

Sitting up slightly, Eric leaned against the headboard as he made Sookie more comfortable, stroking his lover's golden hair as her head slid into his lap, "Where Pam was eventually free to roam after she had been properly trained and adapted to vampirism, a Bonded pair never part after the human half is turned. They would crumble without one another. If the Maker were to die, the Child would be unable to continue on, and would meet the sun. If the Child were lost... Well, it usually ends in the same manner, though some of them manage to recover. That usually only happens when the Maker's own Master steps in and prevents them from meeting the sun."

"That's so sad." Sookie frowned.

"Ah, but, Lover, would it not be sadder if a Bonded pair could never meet again? Even humans look forward to the afterlife to be reunited with their Love." Eric told her.

"Yes, I guess you're right." Sookie sighed, "But just so you know, I was just askin' because in case I change my mind about becomin' a vampire. I'm still not sure about it." She pointed out.

"That is very studious of you." Eric nodded. When she looked at him curiously, Eric explained, "Studious means to pay close attention to something." Sookie nodded in understanding. "All right then." He leaned down to kiss her forehead.

Over the months, it was true that Sookie's vocabulary had grown immensely, but it was still common for Angie, Pam, and Eric to utter words that left the girl entirely baffled. To her relief, they never snickered at her for this, and promptly gave her the definition or a synonym for the word she was unfamiliar with.

"I won't have to talk too much, will I?" Sookie realized with bewilderment, "I don't want your Maker to think that I'm dumb!"

Eric smiled down at her, "I assure you that Godric will not look down upon you for this. Indeed, he may enjoy trying to teach you some things while we are visiting." Eric brought her hand to his lips to kiss it, "He is quite an enthusiastic teacher when willing students present themselves."

"I hope he's patient." Sookie mumbled.

Eric chuckled, "Well, he has put up with me for a few hundred years..."

**A/N: Back in BOLD, baby! I hope that you all enjoyed chapter eight! Please remember to REVIEW!**

**-Andi**


	9. Chapter 9

Keep Me

_A/N: Good afternoon, Readers, and welcome to chapter nine of __Keep Me__! I am posting a little earlier than usual today because I will not have access to my computer this evening. Do not believe you should skimp on the reviews, though, as I DO have access to my phone, and will be enslaved to checking my e-mail all day and night (as is usual when I submit a new chapter!) This is an extra long chapter, seeing as I could not find a good place to stop. As always, enjoy the new chapter!_

_-Andi_

_*****EDIT*** IT HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION BY A "GUEST" REVIEWER THAT I NEVER TOOK HIGH SCHOOL PHYSICS (THEY DID NOT PHRASE IT THAT WAY, BUT THIS IS ACTUALLY TRUE: I WAS MORE OF A BIOLOGY KID) AND THAT MY PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS ABOUT MAGNETIC LAWS ARE ENTIRELY INACCURATE. I AM GREATLY DISGRACED TO FIND OUT THAT PAULA ABDUL KNOWS MORE ABOUT MAGNETS THAN I DO. I HAVE EDITED THE PARAGRAPH THAT RELATED TO MY MAGNET ANALOGY TO SOMETHING MORE REASONABLE. ALSO, CELA WHITNEY, YOU WERE CORRECT- I DID ACCIDENTALLY WRITE "BON TEMPS" INSTEAD OF "SHREVEPORT", THAT TOO HAS BEEN FIXED. READERS, AS YOU CAN SEE, I DO OWN UP TO MY MISTAKES, AND DO NOT BE AFRAID TO POINT THEM OUT. MY PRIDE WILL NOT ALLOW ME TO IGNORE IT. TAKE IT EASY ON POINTING OUT TYPOS THOUGH, OR WE MAY NEVER GET NEW CHAPTERS. FOR THAT SAME PRIDE WILL COMPEL ME TO GO BACK WITH A FINE TOOTH COMB TO FIX EVERYTHING AGAIN.**  
_

**Chapter Nine:**

Monday came all too soon for Sookie. The few days that had remained between her finding out about the trip and the actual departure date had flown by, and the girl now found herself pacing nervously, awaiting Eric's rising.

The vampire could immediately feel his lover's nerves before he had so much as opened his eyes. He could hear the fast pace of her trekking feet walking back and forth across the carpet and hardwood of his floor. "Lover," he sighed, still not opening his eyes, "you will ware a path into my floor at this rate."

"I can't help it." Sookie said chokingly, "I'm nervous about meetin' more vampires."

"Just remember all of the training Pam and I have put you through. With any luck, you will hardly ever use most it." Eric reminded her as he got out of bed. He was pushing her towards the bathroom so they could shower and dress together as they did on almost any other night. He hoped that the routine would calm her down, but not even his advances upon her in the shower seemed to distract her.

Soon, their luggage was loaded into the Escalade and Pam was behind the wheel as Eric crooned and murmured at his lover in the backseat. Pam made a few jabbing remarks about her Maker, trying to get a laugh out of Sookie, but even Pam questioning Eric's masculinity whilst he whispered sweet nothings to Sookie could not make her laugh.

When they arrived at the airport, Pam was a bit relieved. She could no longer deal with seeing her powerful Maker completely wrapped around the young telepath's finger. After all, it was not usual for Eric to show so much affection, especially around her. She just hoped that Eric was not losing his edge.

"It's just because it's Godric." Sookie assured Eric as she paced the aisle of the private jet as they awaited the opportunity to take off. Once the "fasten seat belts" sign flashed, Sookie was buckled in, but only remained that way until the light went back off, and she resumed her pacing. "I just want to make a good impression. I don't want you to look weak in front of the Dallas vampires, or anythin', and I know I'll remember my lessons. I know I will, but what if somethin' we haven't covered comes up? Or what if they notice that I'm not glamoured?"

"Sookie," Eric was rubbing the bridge of his nose, "please relax. Your unease is quite unwarranted. Come here." He held his arms out to her, and Sookie fell into his lap. "The sooner we are Bonded, the better. Once you can focus in on my calm, you will be better apt at handling such strenuous occasions. It is good that we will be Bonded before I introduce you to the Queen and her court."

"I-I'll have to meet a _Queen!_?" Sookie gasped, and Eric silently berated himself for broaching the topic at such a time and place.

"In time, my lover. Not for quite a time now. Just focus on the fact that you have nothing to fear in this meeting. Just remember to keep quiet around vampires that are not myself or Godric, and all will be fine." Sookie nodded slowly, and took in a deep, calming breath.

In what seemed like no time, Sookie was buckling back into her seat and the plane was landing. A limousine was there to meet them at the tarmac and the chauffeur was the one to unload their luggage and put it into the vehicle. Sookie could tell by his brain patterns that he was a Were, but the few thoughts she got from him were not threatening.

"He's on Godric's payroll?" Sookie asked when they were seated in the backseat of the limo.

"Hush, Little One. No more discussions in the vehicle. I will talk to you at the Nest." Eric realized he should have warned Sookie that a Were could hear her through the partition. Having never truly brought Sookie in on supernatural interactions, he was making a whole new list of things he needed to train Sookie in avoiding. Like the fine art of not acknowledging the supernatural in general. Questions would be asked if it were realized that a human could identify Supes at less than a glance.

When they pulled up to an inconspicuous looking two story house, Sookie felt somewhat surprised. She had anticipated her vampire's Maker to have much more lavish accommodations. Somehow, though, the building's subtlety was comforting to the girl.

As the limo pulled to a stop, the Were chauffeur opened the door for them, and Eric took Sookie's hand to assist her out of the car. Their hands remained linked all the way to the front door, but parted when it began to open. Sookie took a half step back behind Eric, knowing she could not stand directly at his side in front of other vampires.

A husky looking cowboy was at the door, looking entirely put out at Eric's appearance on the doorstep. However, his attention shifted quickly to Sookie when he caught a whiff of her appealing scent. Sookie, kept her eyes down, a blank expression on her face, while the strange vampire scented the air discretely.

"Godric is expecting you. He awaits in his library." The vampire growled, but Sookie noted that it was a human growl and not a vampiric one. He was repressing his vampire mannerisms because of her presence.

"Thank you, Stan." Eric nodded, stepping inside, Sookie on his heel like a short, pleasant smelling shadow.

Eric lead the way to Godric's library, and Sookie did her best not to look around. She could feel the presence of a few humans in the house, but by the fog surrounding their thoughts, she knew they were glamoured.

As Eric opened the double doors of the library, Sookie felt her heart hammering against her ribs. It gave Eric brief pause, but he continued into the room. Without raising her eyes, Sookie realized that the only vampires in the room were Eric, and who she assumed would be Godric. Still, she kept her eyes down until Eric told her otherwise.

"My Child." Godric was leaning against the bricks of a fireplace, the wood crackling merrily as a flame danced in the hearth. "And this must be Ms. Stackhouse. You may look at me, Little One." Her heart contracted as the mirth in his voice made Sookie want to look up, but she remained with her head down until Eric said it was okay.

"My Maker's command is my command, Sookie." Eric said with amusement.

At last, Sookie raised her gaze to Godric and stared at him in surprise. He appeared to be around her own age, though she knew he was even older than Eric. Godric had short brown hair and wore light colored linen pants and a tunic. She thought, bemusedly, that he did not look like he was trying very hard to fit into modern fashion... Unless he was emulating a Hari Krishna. "G-Good evenin'." She stammered self-consciously.

Godric smelled the air as he returned her greeting, "Good evening, Sookie. Come, sit down." He gestured to a plush sofa which had two equally comfortable looking chairs facing it. Sookie sat on the sofa carefully, Eric placing himself beside her as Godric took a chair across from them. "You are just as pretty as Eric described you, and you smell even better." He smiled.

Sookie shuddered, "Th-thank you."

"You do not need to be so meek, Little One." It tore Sookie's heart every time he called her that. That was a name for Eric to call her. "Ah, but I can feel through Eric how nervous you are, and twice now you have cringed at something I have said... Hmmm..." Sookie let the deep chocolate eyes of her love's Maker take her in. "She is quite extraordinary, Eric." He said.

"Yes, she is." Eric agreed, placing a hand on her thigh, and taking one of her hands that rested there. "You can see why I have brought her so suddenly."

"Yes." Godric agreed as he rose from his chair to crouch in front of Sookie, "Little Sookie, my Child tells me that you have spared his existence. That you killed a Were to defend him after knowing him only a single night. It is not among my kind to express gratitude towards a human, but I am in your debt."

Sookie swallowed hard, "I-I am still indebted to you, Sir, for makin' Eric. He has saved me from a lot more than just death."

"You may just call me Godric." Eric's Maker hummed to himself amusedly, "Beautiful, delicious, _and_ modest. Eric, wherever did you find a child of this caliber in this day and age?" He joked.

"Fighting like a wildcat outside one of my own buildings." Eric chuckled. "She was taking refuge in the doorway of the warehouse that will house Fangtasia in the future. Two men were accosting her, and she fought them off valiantly whilst suffering of starvation. Had she not been so weakened, I doubt that she would have needed my assistance."

"I also understand that you have other gifts, Little Sookie, other than determination and courage." Godric smiled at her, and she could slowly feel herself warming up to him, "I, unfortunately, must rely on my millenniums of experience to discern another's loyalties." Glancing at Eric, he nodded, "I give you my permission to take Ms. Stackhouse as your Bonded." Sookie let out a long breath that she had not realized was caught in her throat.

"Thank you, Master." Eric bowed his head gratefully.

"Y-you needed _permission_?" Sookie gasped.

"It is not a requirement, however, it is in good form to ask permission, seeing as my progeny risks great future bereavement by committing himself so entirely to another." Godric explained. "Also, a Bonded couple is something even as his Maker, I cannot interfere with. If Eric were younger, I would compel him to rethink this, however, seeing as he is not a fledgling, and has raised a promising progeny, I feel no need to question his judgement."

"So... What if you weren't a nice Maker? Eric's always told me that you are a very fair Master, but not all are like you, right?" Sookie asked tentatively.

"Ah," Godric frowned, "yes, it is quite sad that many vampires sneer at the act of Bonding. They find that it degrades the vampire rather than raises the expectation of the human-" Godric caught Sookie glancing worriedly at Eric, and glanced at his Child curiously.

Eric cleared his throat uncomfortably, "He means that other vampires would look down on me for Bonding to you."

Sookie flushed with embarrassment. She had managed to follow Godric's candor up until that word, "degrade", and though she was pretty sure she knew the general meaning of the word from the context, she could not help but reflexively look to Eric for a definition.

"I, um, couldn't read up until a few months ago." She explained as a light blush crept up her cheeks, "I still run into a lot of words I don't know."

"Ah, well, I did not learn to read until I was nearly three hundred, so you beat me by quite a bit." Godric smiled at her softly. Eric exuded gratitude to his Maker for extending that information just to make his lover less self-conscious. "Do you like to read now?"

"Oh, yes, and Pam gives me all kinds of different stuff to read. Usually magazine articles because she said my fashion sense needs as much improvement as my readin'." Eric and Godric chuckled at Sookie's remark, but she had intended the statement to lighten the mood.

"And she knows how to laugh at herself." Godric's smile widened, "I hope that she knows how to laugh at you, as well." His eyes twinkled teasingly. "Tell me, Little Sookie, how old are you?"

"17, but my birthday is only a little ways away now." She told him.

"I see." Godric nodded. "When are you planning on presenting her?" He asked Eric.

"Once we are Bonded, and she has had a bit more training up." Eric assured him, "Sophie-Anne's Late Autumn Moon Gala will be the perfect opportunity. There will be many there mingling, and direct focus will not be on Sookie."

"That sounds like a perfect situation for her to be introduced. It will be a short audience as well." Glancing sideways at Eric, Godric asked slyly, "Speaking of Sophie-Anne, have you heard from André recently?"

Eric growled, "Not directly. He is, however, the one who sicked a Were on me."

"Ah, yes, in pursuit of getting you out of Area 5 so that he could put a procurer in your place. Tell me, Eric, have you yet discovered what André is looking for?" Eric's eyes flitted at Sookie quickly before he looked back to his Maker, Godric nodded in understanding, "Yes, I believe you are right." He sighed.

"None-the-less, André will not be able to acquire his prize after all. I could go so far as to file grievances with the Queen over her Child's actions if he were to try and take her, or have another attempt to do so." Eric smiled.

"Me?" Sookie gaped for a moment, "You mean André sent that Were to your house so he could get you out of the way to get _me_?" She was entirely flabbergasted.

"That is still unconfirmed, however, after some investigating, and a few choice questions from my ear in the courts, I have been able to deduce that the _item_ that André wished to procure is none other than the little girl who saved my very existence from his attempt." Eric eyed her appreciatively. "My lovely, soon to be Bonded." He took Sookie's hand and brought it to his lips.

"Speaking of which, when did you want to complete the process?" Godric asked.

"As soon as possible." Eric's eyes were still trained on Sookie's.

"Very well. We shall adjourn to the main room. Eric, please take Sookie there while I retrieve the ceremonial dagger, and quickly explain her part in the ceremony." Godric left the room in a blur.

"W-we're doin' it_ now_?" Sookie gasped.

"Are you against it?" Eric looked down at her, surprised.

"No! Not at all, I just didn't realize that we were gonna be Bonded tonight!" Sookie trembled slightly, a mixture of excitement and worry coursing through her. "Does Pam know that this is happenin'?" Sookie asked carefully.

"She is aware, although, whether she knew or not- it should not influence your own decision on the matter." Eric quirked an eyebrow at her, and Sookie bowed her head nervously. "Sookie, what are you holding back?"

"I want this, Eric, but I can't help but think you're rushin' through this all the sudden. What aren't you tellin' me?" Sookie whispered.

Eric sighed and let go of his lover's hand, "I want this, Sookie-"

"I mean, for an immortal to be worried about havin' to wait five _months_ to have his Maker approve of his Bonded is kind of a red flag." Sookie continued, regretting having cut him off.

"You are right, Sookie. I have been pushing us quickly down this route... I have a confession." Eric took her hand firmly, but not with vampire strength. "Do you remember shortly after you came to live with me, and you came along to question my day man?" Sookie nodded. "You remember Charles?" Sookie shuddered at the memory of the other vampire who had left the girl much more cautious of the undead. "I had him open some ears for me in important places, and the chatter I have collected has lead me to believe that you are in danger of becoming a procurement. Unless I bind you to me quickly, my queen can force you to come to her. As of now, you are merely Mine, nothing more than a pet or a drinking fountain- something that can be taken away. If you are bound to me, it is a sign to the kingdom that I am taking a mate- someone whom I intend to turn eventually. She will never be able to take audience without me by your side, even while you are human." Eric told her all of this so quickly that the telepath's head was spinning.

"Why would they want me?" Sookie asked breathlessly.

"At first it was just whispers and hearsay. But now... Well, word has gotten out that I have taken a pet, one that smells utterly divine, and that I never let leave my side in public. A human whom I have invested so much time in has peeked the interest of the queen. She collects human flavors as a human may collect fine wines." Eric brought Sookie's hand to his lips and kissed it while he breathed in the scent of inner wrist. "I can deny my queen very little, but as my Bonded, you will never be negotiable until my final death."

"So, I'm not this valuable thing in the area." Sookie sighed, relieved, "That's at least good. When you mentioned that, I got worried. You just found out about the queen's interest in me because you already had ears listenin' for anythin' up in your Area."

"That, as I said before, is still unconfirmed. The way Compton questions me about you, insisting on meeting you for the purpose of my security is suspicious. My deductive reasoning points to you being involved somehow with the attempt on my existence, but I do not know for certain. It is still not undoubtably confirmed. I am acting as if it is, though." Eric explained.

"But you do want to be Bonded to me, right? It's not just about makin' claim of your feedin' privileges?" Sookie asked, and she could not stand how horrible she felt to have to ask it.

"Sookie!" Eric looked wounded, "You should know better than that by now." Sookie smiled with embarrassment, but gave the hand that was holding hers a squeeze. "I had wished that our Bonding could wait a while longer, since it will slow down your body's aging process, but too many vampires are becoming intrigued by your presence. Even some Weres. You must be indisputably bound to me before any more interests can be peaked. The only thing that has deterred procurers to this point is my age and reputation. It is only a matter of time until the Queen requests an audience with you, and that is when our _real_ problems will begin on that front."

"How so?"

"You cannot be glamoured, Sookie. I have never met a human that could not be. That will raise a lot of questions in the court." Eric explained as they came closer to the large living room. "Now, we must discuss our Bonding ceremony. It is short and easy. When Godric, Stan and Isabelle arrive with a few more witnesses, we will do a mutual blood exchange. You will open a wound with a dagger that Godric will bring... It is a very special dagger, Lover, and it is the other reason we needed to see Godric before we could be Bonded."

"What's so special about it?"

"I will explain in a minute, but let me tell you what we need to do for the ritual first." Eric assuaged her persistence with raised hands and quick talking, "You will cut into my neck and begin drinking, and I will bite your throat. Both of us should feel the magic around us, and you will feel it when the binding has been completed." He assured. "Now, you will experience a much more intense wave of pleasure in reaction to the ceremony because you will be feeling my experience of the situation as well as your own. Do not feel shy or embarrassed if you climax, for I will be doing the same." He gave her a wolfish wink that made Sookie giggle. "Once you feel collected, you must hand the knife back to me- this is the end of the ritual. When witnesses have observed the returning of the dagger to the vampire- it is recognized that the human has willingly submitted their existence to that vampire."

Sookie nodded, "What's so special about this dagger, though?" She asked quietly.

Eric leaned in and spoke quietly to her, "It is enchanted. Godric was gifted it by supernatural royalty. He was told by the King that if the dagger was never used maliciously- it would grant those who used it by their heart protection. We have called this dagger 'The Bloodletting Blade', for that is the only action a vampire could perform out of kindness. It has not been used, for Godric could never guarantee that the user had no ulterior motives other than to save a life. We will be the first to use this blade."

"How do you know it's not cursed?" Sookie asked breathlessly.

Eric smiled, "Godric has had this blade since before I was made. He has had it inspected numerous times, once even by the Ancient Pythoness." He brushed a stray hair from her face, "Believe me, if there were some malevolent aspect about that dagger- Godric would have known about it by now."

"I trust you, Eric." Sookie smiled up at him, "But you know that I'm cautious about all these things right now."

"Yes, Lover, and I am very grateful that you have a brain and consider ramifications before leaping into potential danger. Your survival instincts are unparalleled by any human I have ever met, and soon your logistics will match." He grinned down at her approvingly. "The witnesses will begin arriving in a moment." He warned her moments before the sound of vampires moving very quickly rented the air, and Sookie found herself being leered at by several unknown vampires.

"So, the Viking is _Bonding_?" Stan sneered at the thousand year old warrior. Sookie did not appreciate how he said "Bonding" like a dirty word.

"Stan," Godric's voice was a warning, "this ceremony is the most revered process our kind can experience. If I ever hear a disrespectful utterance about it, I will rip off your arm with great prejudice."

Stan lowered his head, but his eyes still were unhappy about the whole situation.

"He will turn her shortly." Isabelle pressed, "He wouldn't keep her human for long." She pointed out, and Sookie had to fight her urge to say that she was still unsure she _wanted_ to be turned.

"I do not like the manner you use to presume my motives and intentions." Eric sneered at the vampiress who had just spoken, "It will do you well not to assume so much."

After that statement, the group grew silent, and Eric turned towards Sookie. Godric handed over a dagger that appeared to have been forged in pure gold. The edges appeared sharp, but the blade's belly was encrusted with rubies before it tapered into the beveling on its edges. Gilded with detailed etchings and beautiful jewels, Sookie could not understand how anyone would even _attempt_ to use the blade as a weapon, but she guessed in dire circumstances- one would resort to just about anything.

"I, Eric Northman, claim Sookie Stackhouse as my Bonded by blood and blade." Eric vowed as he placed the dagger into Sookie's hand and brought it to his throat. Slitting a long wound across his jugular, Eric leaned down, offering his blood to Sookie. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders before enveloping the bleeding gash with her lips. Once she had begun to pull on the wound, Eric's fangs clicked into place and he punctured them delicately into Sookie's throat.

The telepath's mewl against his flesh made Eric growl and his arms wrapped tightly about her waist as they simultaneously nursed upon each others' blood. Sookie could feel the magic enveloping her, she could begin to feel his hunger, his want, his _lust_. The overpowering sensation of his emotions doubled up inside her until her lips tore from his throat and she let loose a cry of unrestrained pleasure.

Eric was snarling as he grasped her golden hair. Pulling away from her throat, he crashed his blood coated lips to hers, tangling their tongues together intensely. Several clicks sounded as many of the vampires in the room became aroused by the scene in front of them, but Godric ushered them all out with a glare. Godric could see Eric restraining himself just long enough for the last of the strange vampires to leave before he began ripping Sookie's clothes open. The girl gasped and pleaded as her lover yanked up her skirt before quickly undoing his own pants.

"Yes, Eric!" She cried, dropping the dagger at last to reach out and stroke him.

Eric growled again before batting her hands away and thrusting deep into his Bonded. Godric sat down on the sofa, observing his Child interacting with his mate. The girl seemed completely unconcerned at being observed, and that intrigued the ancient vampire. She also seemed unfazed by Eric's complete abandon and aggressive actions to her body, not uttering a single cry unrelated to pleasure and enjoyment.

Godric did not care how much a woman loved a man; a human woman would not be able to handle the intensity at which his Child took Sookie without betraying discomfort.

When Eric finally howled out his orgasm, Godric rose to reconvene the vampire witnesses, taking his time to give Sookie a moment to put herself back together.

Sookie was trembling and shaking as Eric helped her right her torn clothing, managing to scramble up a modicum of modesty. Godric opened the door to the foyer and nodded at the vampires to re-enter. They stayed long enough to witness Sookie returning the Bloodletting Blade back to Eric before they inclined their heads to her ever so slightly and went about their business for the evening.

"Eric, Sookie, take a seat." Godric nodded at the sofa he had sat at while watching them. "I have a question for the both of you... Do either of you know if Sookie may be something other than human?"

The two looked at each other, and Sookie could feel Eric's appraisal. "The thought has crossed my mind more than once." Eric replied honestly, "You and I have tasted pretty much everything there is to taste on this earth, and her flavor is unique, though not entirely unfamiliar. There is something to it that I cannot help but feel I have had it before."

Godric nodded, "As I thought. When I first smelled her, she made me feel the same way."

"I don't know what I could be if not human. I thought my te-... temptin' scent had to do with my virginity at first." Sookie stopped herself from mentioning her gift in a house full of vampires, and Godric and Eric nodded at her approvingly. "But I guess the flavor didn't fade afterwards... Eric... The first time you tasted me, you said I could rival a fairy..."

"Yes, I did, but you do not taste of fairy, you are just sweet like one." Eric smiled down at her, brushing a tendril of hair from her face. "If you were fae, I would feel the effects of your blood, becoming inebriated by it."

"If she were not entirely fae, however, that might explain a dilution in the effects of her blood." Godric pointed out, "Perhaps Sookie had a relative that was only part fae?"

Eric pondered this for a moment, "Yes, but Sookie's other attributes would not be explained by this, only her taste."

"Yes, that particular gift is unrelated to fairies." Godric agreed.

"We have it on reasonable authority, that Sookie may be a Natural Witch." Eric supplied and Godric grimaced, "What?"

"If Sookie is indeed Fae, that could be a problem as she gets older. Fairies reach their magical maturity at 28, and the two sources of magical energy could be catastrophic." Godric replied in a hushed whisper. "I have never met such a combination in my two millennia on this earth... Not a successful one at least."

Eric's teeth clenched as he gripped Sookie's hand, "How do you mean?"

"Fae and Witches use two different, and very potent, types of magic. A single mind and body cannot begin to attempt powering them both. If you are indeed a Natural Witch and Fae, either your mind will shatter trying to control both, or your heart will give out trying to power both." Godric paused to look at his shocked Child, "If you receive confirmation that Sookie is part Fae, as well as part Witch..." He looked back at Sookie once more, "You, young lady, should consider being turned before your fairy magic manifests. Eric, I will do my best to find out as much as possible. You should do so as well, and quickly. I cannot predict if Sookie's maturing powers will accelerate or diminish with the Bond... I will make some calls and keep in contact."

"Oh, are we goin' home already?" Sookie asked, having a difficult time digesting Godric's declaration.

"No, my Bonded, we will be staying in Dallas for a couple of days. Godric is taking us to his private residence for the remainder of our stay, but he will only be available from time to time." Eric smiled at her. "If this were a wedding, you could call this our honeymoon." He winked at her teasingly.

With a giggle, Sookie looked up at her lover shyly, "I guess we already consummated the union, huh?"

Eric and Godric both released boisterous laughs, and Eric could not help but feel quite a bit impressed with Sookie's use of the word consummate, until he realized with a groan, "Has Pam been giving you romance novels?"

"Yes, why?" Sookie asked innocently.

Eric merely shook his head and kissed the top of her head affectionately. "No reason, Lover. Shall we head out, Godric?"

"Yes," the older vampire nodded, amused at his Child's interactions with his enigmatic Bonded, "we should be getting a move on."

Sookie felt a little thrill as Eric took her hand and kept it in his grasp while they walked back out of the house to the limo that had sat waiting. As the Were driver opened the back for them, Sookie inclined her head gratefully to him as she slid in between Eric and Godric. Once they were seated, Eric's hand rested upon her thigh, their fingers still locked loosely.

"What else have you been hearing from your ears around your less than adoring fan, Eric?" Godric asked as the car began to roll away, reigniting their unfinished conversation.

Eric let out a disapproving grunt, "Nothing confirming that she is what it is he is looking for. I do not even know if _he_ knows exactly what it is. The only hints I have received that lead me to conclude that she is, indeed, his goal are a few comments... I heard the word "hybrid" a few times, and considering her questionable heritage- I cannot help but be suspicious. As for trying to replace me... Well, that no longer seems to be a problem since I gave him an opportunity to plant a procurer in my area without actually destroying me."

"Really?" Godric looked interested.

Sookie could feel Eric's complete contempt moving through him. She frowned at his mood, wanting to feel the emotions he had been experiencing before Godric had brought up André. With a little push, she focused on how she just wanted to wrap her arms around him and take away all of his frustrations and annoyances.

Eric let out a long, unneeded breath, basking in the sensation like he had slipped into a hot bath. Godric did not miss the glimmer of bliss that flittered across his Child's face, and in a moment, he could also feel the effects of Sookie's use of the Bond. "Ah, I was not anticipating that." Godric chuckled.

"What?" Eric asked sluggishly, still letting Sookie's soothing presence distract him.

"I can feel her through our bond now. Before, when you first arrived, Sookie was just a variable on the perimeter of your emotions. Now she is as entwined with your experiences as if she has been there all along. It may take me a while to discern where one ends and the other begins." He smiled, "She is even more deeply melded to you than your Pam."

Eric was surprised to hear that, "I did not think that possible unless she was turned."

"Oh, no, Child." Godric grinned, "Where you can feel Pam, she cannot feel you unless you permit her to. Sookie not only feels you, but can manipulate how you experience situations. You were, only moments ago, frustrated and annoyed, but when she pushed her will into the Bond- you became relaxed and sated. Sookie is a quick learner. I have never heard of the human manipulating the Bond so soon after the exchange. I believe most take a couple of years to master what she has so easily performed." Looking to his Child's Bonded, Godric told her pointedly, "Do not abuse that ability, Sookie. Eric's experience of a situation can save your life. If something were to make him feel uneasy- it may very well be because there is great danger. All right?" Sookie nodded in understanding.

Sookie leaned her head upon Eric's shoulder, shutting her eyes softly as they continued the ride in quiet conversation. Eric and Godric continued to murmur quietly to one another, and Sookie occupied herself by listening to the Were driver's snarled thoughts. Though Weres were more difficult for her to listen to, Sookie was surprised to hear several complete thoughts. Usually she would only catch clips, or only see images when she used her ability to read Weres.

"Something has piqued your interest, Lover." Eric announced, giving her hand a squeeze and taking her by further surprise. She had managed to not only hear a Were's thoughts, she had also done it while making physical contact with someone else- a vampire, sure, but usually she could barely hear anything when a vampire was touching her.

"My... _Hearin'_ is getting better." She told him pointedly which made both of her vampire companions raise their eyebrows in intrigue.

"Is that so?" Godric tilted his head curiously, "Did you hear anything interesting while we were distracted?"

Sookie shook her head, "No, I was just surprised to realize it, not surprised by what I heard." The vampires nodded in understanding. "You don't think it'll be harder for me to block now, do you?" She turned to Eric worriedly.

"We will need to test that later." Eric frowned as the car came to a stop and soon the driver was opening the door again.

"Thank you, Terrence." Sookie smiled at the Were kindly as she stepped out of the limo awkwardly. Terrence was taken aback, but nodded curtly at her. "D-did I do somethin' wrong?" Sookie asked breathlessly as Eric took her hand and lead her towards Godric's private home.

Eric chuckled, "Not at all, Lover. Weres are just unaccustomed to being addressed by vampires and their companions. However, I do not believe he ever gave his name- so he may have been curious how you knew it... How did you know it?"

"Oh," Sookie blushed, "one of the thoughts I caught from him was a memory of what he was doin' last night. He really likes when his lover yells his name in bed."

Eric smirked "Well, I do as well, so I cannot say that it is an uncommon source of pleasure."

Sookie giggled slightly and swung Eric's arm childishly with her own. "I could hear him even though you were holdin' my hand." She explained softly as Godric opened the door to his residence and disengaged the alarm system.

"I see." Eric's brow frowned as well as his lips. "Were you trying to listen to him?"

"Yeah, you and Godric were talkin', so I was just kinda lookin' for somethin' to do. I started listenin' to him to pass the time, and it wasn't until you squeezed my hand that I realized you were still holdin' it. That surprised me." Sookie explained.

"Hmm, it seems that your gift is getting stronger, but not necessarily in an unmanageable way." Eric nodded, "We will test that tomorrow evening. Tonight, however, Godric has some plans for us."

"Oh?" Sookie looked at her Bonded's Maker curiously.

Godric smiled sweetly at her and Sookie could not help but giggle at such an expression on a vampire, "My Child informed me that you cannot swim. I thought we might all enjoy a nice moonlit swim lesson." He chuckled at Sookie's mortified expression, "Afraid of the water, Ducky?"

"N-no." She stuck up her chin, but Eric could feel the trepidation stirring in her emotions.

"We will not let anything happen." Eric chuckled as he sent reassurance through the bond. "You will be perfectly safe."

"Okay." Sookie let Eric's positive mood wash over her for courage. "Eric, do I have a swim suit?" She asked tentatively.

"I do believe Pam packed a few for you. She thought, even if you did not swim, you might like to tan during your visit." Eric nodded. "I will take you to the guest room we will be staying in."

"But our luggage-"

"Is already waiting in the living room. Terrence brought it over while you two were having your ceremony." Godric assured her.

"Oh, okay then!" She grinned happily, taking Eric's hand as he lead her to the living room.

Now that Sookie was less preoccupied, she began to inspect the house. She had not been paying attention to the outside, but the inside was subtly rich. The floors were a dark walnut in real wood, not that laminate fake stuff Sookie had seen. All of the upholstery was in warm browns and reds that went well with the cream and golden colors of the walls.

As they stopped in the living room to retrieve their luggage, Sookie gawked momentarily at a large oil painting that hung above the fireplace. Sookie did not know anything about art, but she felt that the piece was quite old, and, more than likely, very expensive.

Eric pulled Sookie from her admiring to lead her to their bedroom for the next few days.

"The code has not been changed since your last visit," Godric nodded to him, "but it has been redesigned. It will not engage until ten minutes before sunrise, so you will not need the code to come and go as you please during the night. However, during the day, the code must be re-entered each time you wish to open it, Sookie."

"Very nice." Eric smirked. That would be a convenience for clothing changes during the evening, though it would not benefit Sookie at all during the day.

After digging through their luggage, Sookie found a red string bikini. The flimsy garment was simple, to say the least, but the girl had a feeling it cost a lot despite its simplicity. Without regard to how many times Eric had seen her naked, Sookie could not suppress a blush every time she changed in front of him. The way his eyes leered at her and the purring sound he made as she slid the skimpy bottoms on made a slickness begin to coat her nether lips.

"_Very nice._" Eric growled as he prowled over to the young woman. "Mmm," he buried his face into her crotch, "you smell so good, My Bonded. We do not need to be outside right away." He breathed deeply through the thin material of her bottoms, "Lie back, Lover." He pushed her hips gently until Sookie flopped back against the mattress.

Sookie wondered why she bothered putting her swimsuit on to begin with now that Eric had her completely naked again. Soon, his lips were trailing over her tan skin and planting gentle kisses along her thighs before spreading them wide and diving down.

With a pleasured cry, Sookie reached down to tangle her fingers in Eric's long, blond hair. Her hands fisted in his locks, holding his face tightly to her wet slit. "Oh, Eric, oh yes!" She cried excitedly as her hips began to buck against his mouth.

As her first climax peaked, Eric kissed back up his lover's body to slip his fingers within her as his other hand undid his pants quickly. Sookie arched against his fingers before they slipped away and were replaced by his cock.

"AHH!" She cried as her arms wrapped around Eric's neck and he clutched her hips to thrust strongly against her. "Please don't stop!" She screamed as Eric picked up his pace and began fucking her in vampire speed. "Oh, OH MY G-" Her throat cut out in a silent scream as her back arched and body jerked in three short, violent spasms.

"Mmmm my Sookie." Eric growled as he stayed in close, "You are perfect, Lover."

Panting excitedly, Sookie groped for Eric's strong arms, digging her nails into the firm muscles as she lulled into her third orgasm. Eric followed her into oblivion, biting into her throat as he did.

As he drank his fill, Eric could not help but notice a new essence to her blood. It seemed different, but he was unable to discern what the difference was. It was not that the taste had changed, but that it seemed more filling- thicker.

Eric licked the wound closed before flopping beside her on the bed and pulling Sookie against his body contentedly.

"You are amazing, Sookie." He kissed the side of her head happily, "My perfect mate."

Sookie purred contentedly at his announcement and snuggled more deeply against him. "And you are mine."

"Now, I must get you back in your bathing suit so that we may finally meet Godric at the pool." He laughed, giving her one more kiss before getting off of the bed and fetching her bikini. Sookie pouted as he handed her the top and crouched down to slip her bottoms up her legs.

"You won't let me drown or somethin', right?" Sookie grimaced at the thought, but Eric could feel through their new Bond that she was merely joking.

"I would never allow anything like that to happen to you, Lover." Eric gave her bottom a light swat, "You know that."

Sookie shrugged, "I've never been in a pool... Or even a lake. The only time I've been in water is to take a bath!"

Eric chuckled at that and took her hand as they walked out of the bedroom.

"Decided to join me, then?" Godric winked at them as they came towards the kitchen where the door to the patio was.

"I apologize. I was distracted momentarily." Eric grinned back at his Maker.

"A reasonable distraction you have." Godric nodded with amused understanding. "Shall we?"

The trio went out to the back patio which was lit up beautifully. There were tall trees framing the property and offering more privacy than a fence would, as well as a well manicured lawn and well kept garden.

"It's very pretty out here!" Sookie looked around and saw a hot tub that was just too tempting to pass up. "Ooh, can we go in there first?" She asked excitedly, tugging Eric towards the jacuzzi. The two vampires just chuckled and humored her as they clambered in, Eric pulling Sookie into his lap.

"We still have quite a while until dawn, so a soak before swimming will not make us pressed for time." Godric smiled at them. "Now, Sookie, I am curious to know about your gift. Eric has told me all about it, of course, but I am curious to hear it from your perspective. Can you try to describe what you 'hear'? How it sounds to you? Does it sound like regular voices?"

Sookie's face scrunched slightly as she thought how best to describe what she heard, "It's kind of like hearin' a whisper. You know how everyone's voice sounds different when they whisper? Not like their normal speakin' voice, but you can usually tell who it is talkin' anyway?"

"I understand how you mean." Godric nodded.

"But coverin' my ears doesn't dampen it out, I don't hear with my ears, it's more like I'm feelin' a vibration. Like... When the bass is really high up on a song and you can literally feel the words... Does that make any sense?" She giggled nervously. She had never tried to describe the things Godric was asking about, and she had never honestly tried to think of a way of explaining them. Normally, she just pretended they didn't exist at all!

"I am following you, but it is so fascinating." Godric smiled, "I thank you for indulging my curiosity."

"Godric... What else has Eric told you about me?" Sookie asked softly, reluctantly.

Godric's smile softened, "Everything, Little Sookie." Sookie's eyes ducked down, and Eric nipped her chin up gently, "There is nothing for you to be embarrassed or ashamed about, Little Sookie. We all have our atrocities to combat. Yours just came early on, and I know my Child will keep any future ones at bay." A glimmer of comfort tittered through the bond and Sookie jolted.

"Was that you? That didn't feel like Eric." Sookie stared wide eyed. "W-wait..." Her eyes closed, and the vampires stared at her in captivation as Sookie's face scrunched up in concentration. "Godric, can you send to Eric like that again?" She asked, eyes still shut, face still tight with focus. She felt Godric's comfort once more, and she followed that sensation to the outskirts of where she normally felt Eric.

_'Eric?'_ Eric jumped and dislodged Sookie from his lap, submerging her in the water. When she came sputtering to the surface again, Eric was cupping her shoulders and staring at her wide-eyed. "You heard that?" She coughed out.

"Yes! How... How did..." Eric was completely speechless.

"What is it, Eric?" Godric looked excited and more impatient than Eric had ever seen.

_'I can speak now.'_ Godric's eyes went even wider as he heard Sookie's 'voice' in his head.

"What... How is this?" Godric's voice was a shocked whisper.

"I don't know how to really explain it." Sookie said with bewilderment. "But when I felt you through the bond, I found where Eric's mind was, because it's his mind that 'sends' to me. When I found that, I just..." She shrugged, at a loss for an explanation, "It's weird. I've never been able to send before... Well... Not like that anyway."

"What do you mean, Lover? 'Not like that'?" Eric's eyes were still boring into her own.

"Well, back when I lived with Bartlett... He considered lettin' some of his friends _do stuff_ to me... When he got that thought, I just kinda... twisted it a bit. I used his selfishness to make him not want to let them. But when he decided he was goin' to sell me- I couldn't twist his thoughts against it. That's why I had to leave." Sookie explained.

"Why did you never tell me about that ability before?" Eric tried not to sound demanding, but this was a huge ability for her to dismiss.

"I'd only done it a few times... I just figured it was a fluke or that it hadn't been _me_ at all, but now it seems more possible I did it- now that I found out I can send to you." Sookie shrugged.

"Maybe the bond made you more receptive to hearing her?" Godric suggested.

"Then why can she send to you?" Eric asked.

"You are my blood, Eric. As Pam is your blood. Sookie could probably send to all three of us." Godric shrugged. "Can you 'hear' us, Little Sookie?"

Sookie frowned and tried her hardest to hear them, "Not at all. You're still silent, but... Try sendin' to me?"

"How would I do this?" Eric asked.

"Just pretend you're talkin' to me, but don't make any noise..?" Sookie gave him an unsure look.

_'I feel ridiculous...'_ Sookie giggled and Eric looked at her curiously.

"Don't feel ridiculous. It could be really useful at some point." Sookie assured him.

"I am at a loss right now." Godric climbed out of the hot tub and began pacing the patio. _'Can you hear me, too?'_

"Yes." Sookie nodded, and Godric was nearly floored. In his two millennium, he had never been thrown off his guard so entirely. "Do you think maybe the Bloodlettin' Blade might have somethin' to do with the upgrade my gift is gettin'?"

"It is quite possible." Godric speculated. "We were unsure as to the full ability of the dagger, but this is entirely unexpected, though not unwelcome. This could prove quite useful. Sookie, on your way back to Shreveport, I want you and I to try conversing for as long as we can as you depart. I would like to test the range. You and Eric might be able to communicate from greater distances since it is you that are Bonded, but I would like to see what the two of us are capable of first."

"That sounds like a good idea, but... Fair warnin', Godric- that is quite drainin'. I don't know if vampires get headaches, but I bet you'll get your first one in a long time if not." The vampires chuckled at Sookie's claim. "You two seem to be takin' this all very well..." She said apprehensively.

"Sookie, when you are as old as us," Godric smiled at her indulgently, "something "new" is always welcome, even if it does bring ramifications."

_'To result in consequences.'_ Eric supplied her with a definition.

"WOAH!" Sookie yelped, "I'm really gonna like this! Eric, now people don't need to know when I don't know a word!"

"Yes, this will have many benefits, especially since we must send our thoughts to you intentionally." Eric agreed.

"There's stuff you don't want me to hear?" Sookie scoffed playfully.

"Well, we do not want to take all of the surprise and excitement from our relationship." Eric played along.

"I am curious... As to how much of this is in response to the Bloodletting Blade, and what is, in fact, Sookie's powers themselves." Godric was still pacing beside the hot tub. "The blade was said to offer protection to the user or users, however, I am not sure that this falls into that category."

"Well, it would make things safer for us all..." Sookie replied thoughtfully.

"Yes, but for it to work in such a fashion... It seems quite intriguing that a form of protection would be something so similar to what Sookie is familiar with." Godric pointed out. "No, in my opinion, this may be unrelated to the blade's power."

"Well, what _is_ the blade suppose to do?" Sookie pressed.

Godric sighed and sat down, dunking his feet into the hot tub. "It is... difficult to say how it works, exactly." He began slowly, "I was gifted the blade when I was barely more than a fledgling. My own Maker tried to take it from me, but it was enchanted. It could only be _given_ not demanded. Since I could not sincerely gift it to him, the blade would not accept him as its owner."

"What would it do if someone tried to take it?" Sookie asked excitedly.

"Merely disintegrate in the thief's hands and rebuild itself back in its sheath which was permanently fused to a display stand." Godric shrugged, "Anyway, I was told by the King that if the blade were never used in violence, it would bestow protection upon the wielder who used it out of love. It was not explained how the blade accomplished this, but I have it on high authority that the Bloodletting Blade is indeed enchanted with powerful, good magic."

Sookie sighed and leaned against the side of the hot tub, "That's annoyin'. So, we don't even know if it worked, or is workin."

"The best magic," Eric began quietly, "is the most subtle. A spell of protection is better suited to remaining vague and spontaneous than the bestowing of unnatural gifts. This is conspicuous and can lead to more peril."

"Because it leads to questions?" Sookie asked.

"Yes, Lover. Exactly." Eric nodded, "Our ability to speak telepathically will _remain_ a secret. No one, but our blood, will know."

"And me." Sookie giggled.

"You are our blood now, Little Sookie." Godric smiled down at her amusedly.

"Wait..." Sookie gasped, "Eric, are you blockin' your end of your bond to Pam?" She asked excitedly.

"Yes, I usually do, unless there is a need for it to be open." Eric raised an eyebrow.

"Can you open it? I found Godric through my bond with you, maybe I can talk to Pam if you open your end!" Sookie looked excited.

"That is quite a reach, Little Sookie." Godric looked uneasy.

"I want to try it. It would be a great way to test the range! Imagine if somethin' were goin' down in Dallas or Shreveport and we couldn't risk you two conversin' on the phone. Eric could tell me to send a message to you telepathically, and the three of us could speak using me as... A router?" She giggled at her choice of words.

"More like a medium." Eric chuckled. "All right, Little One, I will open the bond, but be sure to tell Pam not to panic and to call my cell phone if she hears you." Eric zipped out of the water and returned with his phone before settling back into the water.

A moment later, Sookie could clearly feel Pam's emotions- stagnant as they were. She followed the signature of her emotions like a trail of smoke. It felt like the telepath's mind was soaring over the trees, across the land until she found the tiny, impenetrable bubble of Pam's mind.

_Pam, if you can hear me, don't freak out. Call Eric's cell-_

Eric's phone rang even before Sookie could finish the thought.

"_Master!" _Pam's voice was panicked and shrill as Eric answered it. _"What in the seven circles of __**hell**__ is going on!? I can hear your Sookie's voice in my fucking head!_"

Eric laughed a bit, "Shortly after the completion of our Bonding, Sookie discovered she could converse with Godric and I telepathically. She wanted to test the range of this new ability. Do not worry. We will be explaining more when we return." Godric held out his hand for the phone and Eric's eyebrow rose, "Godric wishes to speak with you."

Once the oldest vampire had the phone, he was quick with his words, "Pam, there is something special happening with this Bond. If you experience _anything_ out of the ordinary while Eric and Sookie are here, call us immediately. Do not experiment on your own. We must work together around this, because it seems that aside from attaching herself to Eric, Sookie has linked herself with all of those sharing my blood."

"_I understand. I will report any news immediately upon my discovery, but will not do anything out of the ordinary before their return... Wait, can Sookie read my mind?"_ Pam seemed panicked at the thought.

"No, she can only hear you if you _think_ at her. You may experiment with her when they return." Godric told her.

"_Ooh_, _I do love experimenting._" Eric and Godric could hear the meaning in her voice and just laughed before Godric hung up.

**TBC**

**A/N: Yay! So, now we have Godric. As you may have noticed, I did not choose to use the "my existence is an abomination" Godric. Though, he is still compassionate for humans, Godric is not so much of a hippy-emo. I chose to tweak him a bit and make Godric more "happy-go-lucky". I saw him portrayed this way in another fanfiction, and just fell in love with the way the character was written. I do not get too involved with Godric's character in this story, but the other fanfic I am working on has a lot more Godric influence. Well, as always:**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**-Andi**


	10. Chapter 10

Keep Me

_A/N: Happy Tuesday, Readers! Welcome to chapter ten of __Keep Me!__ Please, enjoy!_

_-Andi_

**Chapter Ten:**

Sookie was sad when Eric and Godric began ushering her inside of the house. They could feel dawn coming, and needed to get to their resting places before they died for the day.

Despite promises of swim lessons, the trio had spent the evening experimenting with their new found telepathic abilities. Eric and Godric tried to communicate with each other without Sookie, but found nothing but silence and curious looks. They _did_ discover that Sookie could link their minds and open a pathway for them to speak, however it was exhausting for the girl, and they agreed that it should only be done in extreme emergencies when having Sookie relaying messages would be too time consuming, and would need to speak directly to one another.

"It is strange, Lover," Eric slipped off his Speedo as he prepared for his rest, "It feels like the evening has only just begun. I wish that I did not have to leave you for the day, but continue to explore our new gift. Although, I am sure that you are thoroughly exhausted from all of the evening's events." He pushed a damp tendril of hair from her face as he leaned in to kiss her lips gently.

Sookie smiled into his lips before pulling away and sprawling on the bed. She too was not feeling the least bit tired, but she decided it was because the night's events had left her giddy. "Keep talkin' with me until the sun finally takes you from me?" She requested, reaching out her arms to embrace him.

"Of course, I love slipping away to the sound of your voice." Eric slid into her loose hug and wrapped his arms about her waist, "What will you do today?"

"I don't know, probably explore Godric's house a bit. It's much bigger than I realized. I was so distracted last night, that I wasn't really payin' attention to the place." She told him, "Is Terrence goin' to be my driver today?"

"Yes, and you may wish to get a bit more information about him. Godric was very intrigued about learning more about his personal employees... Also, now that you are comfortable in my home, and a bit more educated, I was considering hiring some domestics to keep the house. I am very unhappy with myself for allowing you to take those duties upon yourself." Eric told her.

"Why are you unhappy with my cleanin'? Don't I do a good job?" She looked disappointed with herself.

"I am not unhappy with you, Lover." Eric chuckled as he shook his head, "I just do not wish for you to be the one to clean. I want you to be able to focus on your education instead of being a housekeeper. Also, I wish to have someone to cook for you. You seem to be eating too many processed foods, and I know you still skip meals. Your body should have filled out much more than it has in the past few months, and I would like someone in the house to be making sure you are getting all of your meals."

Sookie's was having trouble being happy with these potential changes. She was already content with the existing arrangements, and was unsure how she felt about having a stranger in her home with Eric dead for the day. "That's a lot of changes..."

"Yes, it is, but you will benefit greatly from these changes. I hope to hire a tutor for you soon. Your mind is learning quickly, and you need continuous coaching in your studies." Eric tapped her nose, "If you were not waiting for Pamela and I to rise for the evening, imagine what all you could have learned by now!"

Sookie smiled at him before nuzzling against his chest and continuing their talk. Part of their evening to morning ritual was snuggling together and discussing the near and distant future. Sometimes they would talk about her studies and what Sookie would be learning next. Other times, Eric would tell her his plans for after the Great Reveal. A lot of the time, Eric and Sookie would discuss Fangtasia as they tried anticipating the reception of the club. Eric could not help but gloat at the thought that Sookie was excited to help him troubleshoot issues that occurred at the club once it was safe to open it.

"Eric..." Sookie gave him a surprised and confused look, "Are you able to stay up later into the mornin' now?"

"What do you mean, Lover?" Eric asked curiously still stroking her hair.

"Well, I just looked over your shoulder at the clock... It's nearly 10 AM, and the sun has been up quite a while now..." Sookie told him hesitantly, "Hold on."

"_Godric, are you still up?"_ Sookie projected to him.

"_Yes, and I can tell that Eric is as well. I can feel that Pam is still aware, too. Meet me in the living room. The curtains will have drawn by now, so it will be safe for us to walk about."_

"Godric wants us to meet him in the livin' room." Sookie told Eric. The vampire made a confused face, but dressed quickly, as did Sookie.

When the three had convened in the living room, they all stared at one another for a moment. "Do I dare try it, Eric?" Godric eyed the window.

"I am younger, I should try it first." Eric argued.

"Yes, but should you collapse, Sookie would not be able to drag you back into the house." Godric pointed out.

"She has just had my blood last night, she will be plenty strong enough." Eric waved off the excuse.

"You make a good point." Godric sighed, but the urge to protect his progeny was overriding common sense. "However, I would like it to be me. I have gone over a thousand years longer than you without seeing the sun."

It was the first time Sookie had seen Eric fidget so openly. "Don't worry, Eric. I'll make sure he gets back inside safely. We'll go out together." She smiled warmly at Godric and let him take her hand.

Sookie opened the front door as Eric paced the den worriedly. Luckily, Godric had opened his end of the bond, and between his Maker and Bonded, Eric would know if any danger was occurring.

"Thank you, Sookie." Godric took a deep breath as she opened the door, and he had to fight every ounce of his self-preservation to take his first step outside and into the sunlight.

Sookie merely stared into Godric's eyes as he gaped, open mouthed, at her and then turned disbelieving eyes back on his sun soaked skin. "This is... I..."

"_Eric, come outside."_

Eric was beside them at vampire speed, but stopped mid-step upon seeing Sookie, "My Bonded, you are... So lovely in the sunlight." Eric nuzzled into her throat and hair, "Gods, the smell of sunlight the taste of its warmth on your skin." He let a long lick trail up her throat. "This is incredible. Godric, what does this mean?"

"It means, that we are daywalkers now, Eric." Godric was staring at his pale hands as the sunlight shown on them. "I am... At a loss. I have heard of the rare occurrence of vampires rising as daywalkers, but never of one becoming such later on."

"There have been vampires that could walk in the sunlight?" Sookie asked wondrously.

"They do not feel the _call_ of the sun. They do not die for the day. Instead they remain conscious throughout the day and must remain in light tight areas. I have never heard of one walking into the light." Godric explained. "This is completely unheard of."

"So, what do we do?" Eric was still gazing at Sookie as if he had never seen her before.

"I say that we spend the day outside and see if there is any change. Also, call Pam and tell her to make sure she stays in a lightproof location. You may see if the daywalking works for her when you return. However, I am curious if Sookie must be present for the ability to walk outside."

"How do you mean?" Sookie asked.

"I will take nothing for granted." Godric shook his head, "Our abilities could be linked to physical proximity. It should be tested at some point, unfortunately Pamela would be the best one to test it since she is the youngest..."

Eric growled at the thought, but had to agree. "She would be the best, but it will be I that does it. Sookie will know if I need her. What distance would I need from her do you think?"

"It is difficult to say." Godric shrugged.

"_Pam, this is entirely up to you, but will you try walkin' into the sunlight? Eric and Godric are outside, and want to know if you would have the same immunity despite how far away you are from me physically. They're arguin' over who will test it. But, I think, if I can link minds with you, then you have the same protection. I respect any decision you would make."_

As Godric and Eric continued to debate over the best way of testing their theories, Sookie kept her eyes closed and focused on Pamela's well-being through her bond with Eric.

"I cannot bring myself to let my Child-" Eric froze mid-sentence as his cellphone began ringing. "Pamela?" He spoke into his phone.

"_Master, it is an absolutely gorgeous day outside. I cannot wait to see if I freckle!"_

"We told you_ not_ to experiment!" Eric growled harshly into the phone, "What the fuck were you thinking, Pamela!? Or were you even thinking at all!?"

"_Sookie explained to me that you were having an argument with your Maker about whether proximity to Sookie would matter in the case of daywalking. She told me it was entirely my decision to walk out the door. I have stood outside for over five minutes, and have yet to smoke or burst into flames. I will continue to remain outside until either occurs, or until the sun sets."_

"Pamela-"

"_I apologize for my brash decision, Master, but this was our best opportunity to test the distances, and I knew you would never agree if I asked. Better to beg forgiveness than ask permission._" Pam told him.

"I will have to punish you when I return, Pamela. Expect the worst when I return." Eric warned her.

"_Of course, Master."_ And Eric hung up.

"Sookie," Eric would not look at her as the girl approached, "I love you dearly, but you have put my progeny in danger as well as gone behind my back in doing so. You will be punished as well."

Sookie swallowed hard, "Y-yes, E-Eric." She tried so hard to sound brave, but Eric had never punished her for anything before, and she was absolutely terrified at what penalty she had incurred.

"Go to our room and wait for me there." He told her firmly.

"Yes, Eric." She squeaked, fighting back tears as she ran back into the house.

"What are you planning?" Godric asked curiously.

Eric paused a moment until he heard that Sookie was in their room, "Her punishment is already happening. With her history, physical punishment is useless. She has been abused so much physically, the damage I would have to subject her to is... Unthinkable."

"You spoke of the sexual abuse that your Bonded endured. Was there more even than that?" Godric asked carefully.

Eric broke eye contact with his Maker. The memory of what Bartlett's glamoured mind had allowed his lips to speak still brought upon rage, "Hale participated in the Korean war. Though he was never subjected to torture by the enemy, he heard tales of different torture methods used in, specifically, China. The ones he could manage while being in a wheelchair, as well as not leave too much physical evidence, were practiced on her. Hale was particularly fond of whipping her feet because he said that it kept her from being able to sneak around the house." Godric kept his gaze steady as Eric explained a bit more about Sookie's past. He could feel the utter contempt coursing through his Child, and was surprised by it. Eric had inflicted such torture before without a care, and yet here the same creature stood, feeling disgust at the thought of the technique's use. Even though this newly discovered respect for torture was only linked to its use on Sookie, Godric was grateful that, at last, his Child's capacity for cruelty was tempered by _something_.

"If I am honest with myself and you, I admit that I could not bear to inflict that pain upon her. She will only receive a single swat on her bottom for this." Godric cocked his head, curious now, "You can feel her turmoil right now, her utter despair at disappointing me. I will leave her to that for a short while." Eric smiled to himself slightly, "She has never needed discipline in the months she has been with me, mostly because she punishes herself more than sufficiently for her mistakes. This is the first time, other than a corrective clearing of my throat, that she has needed to understand any disapproval I have had."

"I see. Well, do not let her punish herself for too long. I will leave this to you. I am going to go back to the pool and enjoy this sunlight some more!" Godric walked off to the backyard to go for a swim with that final statement. He wanted time to himself to contemplate his Child's new respect for torture. Before, Eric had respected the methods for the ability they had to induce compliance from others. Now, it seemed, Eric had finally come to understand the psychological repercussions they inflicted on those who suffered by his hands.

Eric walked back into the house and went straight to his room. Even as he walked the hallways, he could feel Sookie's terror and panic rising steadily. When he arrived in their room, she was sitting on their bed, holding back tears. Forced to close off his side of their Bond, Eric allowed himself to experience the bottomless chasm of regret at making his lover feel so terrible. He never wanted to be the source of her fear, as loosely as she associated that terror with him right now. No, it was not a beating that she cried over, but the thought that Eric would dismiss her or abandon her.

Sitting beside her, Eric placed a hand over hers, "You understand why I must punish you, Sookie?"

"Y-yes, Eric." She hiccuped.

"You understand that I am angry with your decision, but that I still love you very much, right, Sookie?" He asked.

"Yes, Eric." She nodded.

"All right. " Sookie looked at him curiously, feeling the Bond flood with love and acceptance, "You have suffered enough already, and will only receive a single spanking." As much as it hurt to raise a hand to her, Eric knew that threats meant nothing if they were not followed through with.

"Yes, Eric."

"Bend over my knee, Sookie." Eric opened his arms and Sookie stood from the bed to bend over his knee obediently. Pulling her skirt up over her bottom, and pushing her panties down, Eric poised his hand over the exposed globe of flesh.

The spanking came without preamble or any warning. It was _very_ hard and drew a yelp of surprise and pain from Sookie's mouth. She knew very well that he was not spanking her with all of his strength, but it still stung worse than anything she had felt in the months they had been together. Save the ribs she had cracked that second day. This was nothing like the pleasurable, little slaps he gave her rear during sex!

"All right, my Sookie. That is all this time." Eric stood her upright and hugged her tightly, running a cool hand over her bottom gently to soothe the quickly reddening flesh.

Sookie choked out, "You forgive me?"

"Yes, you are forgiven, Sookie. Now, no more talk about it. It is in the past now." Eric kissed her forehead, "Now, go put a swimsuit on, and Godric and I will teach you to swim since we never got around to it during the evening."

Sookie was still trembling as she put on a second swimsuit that Pam had packed for her, since the one from last night was still cold and wet. This one was cerulean blue, but cut the same way as the red one.

Eric let Sookie walk in front of him on their way outside, and marveled at the brightness of her red, heart-shaped ass. The coloring enthralled the vampire, having never seen skin flush so entirely with a single strike. A coil of lust was building in him, for the crimson evidence of his corrections reminded him of how deep a red he could make that bottom get when he gave it loving slaps during their love making. How he wished to make that luscious ass the envy of a freshly plucked cranberry!

Godric was waiting for them in the pool, and Sookie blushed when she saw that he was naked. When Eric began to strip behind her, Sookie nearly broke into sobbing laughter. "Come on, Lover, it will make you bottom feel better." Eric told her as he grabbed her by the waist and carried her into the water.

Sookie had to admit that the cool water did feel marvelous on her throbbing skin, and once she was in the water, it was easier to pretend that the two vampires were wearing swim trunks, as long as she avoided looking at their lower halves for too long.

"Why so shy, Little Sookie?" Godric chuckled.

"I've only ever seen Eric." She laughed nervously, eyes still pointed skyward.

"Supernatural creatures do not balk at nudity, so it is best for you to become comfortable in such situations. Most find the false modesty annoying rather than endearing. However, with humanities' current representation of how a body should be viewed, it is becoming less and less about indifference and more about creating a shallow stereotype and standard. Where Supes are accustomed by either necessity of nudity or the overall acclimatization of it; humans use nudity for shock value or incurring jealousy, humiliation or insecurity." Godric told her, but Sookie was confused by his explanation. Aside from the large words, the entire explanation of the concept was over her head.

Sookie was not in the least bit shy about her own body being on display, having had years of forced exposure living with her abusive guardian. However, seeing others naked was still foreign to her, and that was what made her uneasy.

Deciding that if they were just as comfortable with their nudity as she was with hers, there was no reason to feel uneasy at all, and Sookie began her first ever swim lesson with two ancient vampires as her coaches. Godric and Eric were patient with her, but it was unneeded. Sookie took to swimming like a fish, and soon the three of them were laughing and splashing at each other like children.

Sookie alternated between swimming and laying about in the sun while her skin de-pruned, but it was nearly impossible getting Eric and his Maker out of the water at all. It was as if the sunlight on their skin had removed their centuries of darkness and suspicion, returning them to days of childish wonder and adventure.

The feelings she was experiencing from Eric were the most elating sensations of her life. His happiness on this day fueled her love for him, because it was the most innocent happiness she had ever felt.

When the afternoon began to lull into dusk, the trio finally went back into the house to shower and dress. When they emerged from their rooms to reconvene in the kitchen, Sookie finally realized that it had not been since their plane ride over that she had last eaten.

"I am going to take you to dinner now, Lover." Eric grimaced at the loud rumble his Bonded's stomach gave, "This is why we need to hire a cook for you! I keep forgetting to feed you!" Sookie could see the despair in his eyes, and feel glimmer of failure and shame in his emotions.

"It's not your fault!" Sookie kissed his chin, "I'm just used to not eatin' often, you can't recognize my discomfort if _I_ don't even acknowledge it." She pointed out.

"You are kind to overlook my neglect, Lover, but I cannot permit myself to be forgiven." Eric shook his head, "Come now, let us get to a restaurant and get you fed. Godric, you will meet with us at dawn?"

"Yes, seeing as how our days are no longer filled, we will be able to see each other more on your trip than I anticipated." Godric chuckled.

"See you in the mornin', Godric." Sookie waved to him as Eric ushered her out the front door.

The vampire treated his Bonded to a wonderful dinner on the balcony of a five star restaurant before taking her shopping. Most of the stores were closing shortly, and Eric realized that he and Godric could take Sookie shopping during the day! However, would it be safe for them to actually go out in public during the day? What if a security camera got footage of them and a vampire saw it? Eric supposed they could always put on disguises, but it was not particularly easy for a 6'5" blond viking to disguise himself.

"Your birthday is next week, Lover." Eric told her as they swung their arms lazily between themselves.

"Yes, I guess it is." Sookie smiled up at him, flattered that he remembered.

"Was there something special you wanted?" He asked.

Sookie laughed, "Eric, you treat me special even when it's not my birthday. I don't really think there's anythin' I need to _ask_ for. You treat me extremely well."

Eric smiled gently at her, "I was thinking about getting you a piece of jewelry."

"Really, now?" Sookie looked at him suspiciously, her free hand playing with the diamond solitaire that she rarely removed.

"Yes, since it will be your 18th birthday, and we are already Bonded, I thought that a ring of engagement might be appropriate." He told her in a surprisingly cautiuos manner.

Sookie blushed slightly and bit her lip, "I would like that..."

"Well, it seems that I have a week to acquire your engagement ring."

Wrapping her arms around his, Sookie hugged the appendage as they walked down the sidewalk.

"I didn't know vampires had weddin's." She giggled as they continued their stroll.

"In my community, weddings are merely contracts and business arrangements. They last in, usually, intervals of 50 years. A contract can be renewed, or the pair may choose not to. However, my intention of getting you a ring is so that other humans know that your are taken." Eric smiled down at her. "I fear that we may not be able to have a human marriage, though. With the Reveal only a few years away, going through with a legal, human marriage could cause many issues."

"So, what are we goin' to do?" Sookie asked.

"We will have a long engagement and see how the Reveal goes. We will have to play it by ear for now." Eric explained.

"Okay. An engagement ring is more than I ever expected in my life." Sookie laughed, and not for the first time, Eric was absolutely captivated by her laughter. Every time he heard it, his soul felt like it was soaring. It was even more captivating when he was laughing right beside her, for it had been so long since his laughter had been genuine, abandoned mirth.

As they walked on, Eric asked her curiously, "How is your gift?"

Sookie shrugged, "I'll have to let go of your arm to find out." She released her hold on him and flickered her eyes about, "Wow."

"What is it?" He asked excitedly.

"I can hear individuals, it's not all just comin' in a blast anymore." She explained, training her eyes on certain people, "But I _can _make myself listen to everythin' all at once. I can filter through a lot better, too."

Eric nodded, "That is very good. Can you block without holding onto me?"

"Yes," she said quickly, "and I can hear those Weres over there real easily now."

"Shh, Lover." Eric hushed her as the male Were stopped the conversation he was having to glance at Sookie.

As they closed the distance between themselves and the Weres in question, Eric sneered when the burly youth stepped into their path, abandoning the conversation he was having with his bitch. He growled when the Were sniffed at her and the female Were eyed them with disgust.

"Heightened senses?" The Were asked.

With an annoyed expression, Eric merely gave him a slight nod.

"Never seen you 'round here." The Were crossed his arms over his chest.

"Since when is it your duty to keep tabs on my kinds' movements?" Eric snapped. "You would do well to be wary around us, Pup."

It was the Were's turn to snarl at the derogatory word. "Fuckin' tick, you better-"

Eric closed the distance so that he was right in the Were's face, "I am the second oldest moving thing in this state, _Pup._ Take a good whiff and realize that you are looking in the face of death."

Sookie trembled at Eric's posturing. Though part of her was shocked to see her lover act in such a manner, another part of her felt completely turned on by the display of power.

Eric could feel Sookie's arousal and he sent affection to her along with his own wave of lust. The Were was oblivious to this, but Sookie could hear him thinking about how good she smelled. Those thoughts quickly became more graphic, and Sookie began to feel uneasy.

"_He's not recognizin' you as an older vampire."_ Sookie told Eric.

The vampire let out a low growl at the young Were's insubordination. "Get back to your female, Pup." Eric held open his arm, which Sookie quickly and obediently ducked into, "And be grateful that you do not reside in _my_ area."

As Eric and Sookie continued their walk, Sookie told him telepathically, _"I'm sorry, I just blurted that out without thinkin'..."_

"_It is all right, Lover. But perhaps, when we are not at home, we should only speak of your gift like this. This kind of communication does not seem to be taxing me at all. Does it tire you?"_

"_No... But in a weird way, it feels like I've always talked like this. Maybe 'cause I've always listened?"_

"_It is possible."_

"_Do you think we'll ever sleep again? I mean, I don't feel tired at all!"_

Eric chuckled, _"I do not know. However, it would be good to rest on occasion. Perhaps sleep is now optional? I do not know for certain. Godric, nor I, have ever heard of something like this occurring, and we have yet to conclude if it is because of your heritage or our use of the Bloodletting Blade."_

"_I sure know how to complicate things." _Sookie actually laughed, _"Wait... Eric, do you know what the Bloodletting Blade was called before it was given to the vampires?"_

"_I do not, but perhaps Godric does?"_

Reaching out for Eric's Maker, Sookie projected, _"Godric?"_

"_Vaí?"_

Sookie balked, _"Nia?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_Did you just think at me in another language?" _Sookie asked.

"_English is not my first language. You caught me off guard."_ Godric answered.

"_Do you normally think in... Whatever that was?" _She asked curiously.

"_No, but when I am speaking in Greek with another vampire, I tend to _think_ in Greek as well."_ He explained, _"You needed something, yes?"_

"_Oh! Right! Do you know what the Bloodletting Blade was called before you got it?"_

There was a long pause, and Sookie found that she was so focused on his response that, had it not been for Eric, she would have smashed her face into the sidewalk as she tripped over a crack in the concrete. Thankfully, Eric caught her, and leaned up against a nearby building with her as Sookie continued waiting for Godric's reply.

"_It was forged by Dwarves, and I believe they called it Ong Zan. And the king who gave it to me called it Erfea."_

"_Do you know what either of those means?"_

"_I know that Zan is blood. Vampires know the word for blood in just about every language." _Sookie could feel his amusement,_ "I will let you know when I have translated it." _He promised.

With a sigh, Sookie looked at Eric with a shrug, "You are not pleased." He noted.

"Well, I figured if you guys gave the knife the name you did because of how it was meant to be used, maybe the original owners did the same thing. Only, they named it in their own languages, and Godric doesn't know the translations off the top of his head." She explained.

Eric smiled at her burst of inspiration for delving deeper into the blade's history, "Godric will recall when he is no longer distracted. Perhaps in the morning we will be able to venture the subject once again."

"Yeah..." Sookie shook her head with a little smile that Eric knew meant she was amused by her own impatience, "Okay, change of topic! Are you still goin' to hire a cook when we get back?"

"Yes. I was quite serious about my concern over your missing meals. It is not healthy for you." Eric told her firmly. "It is true that you are no longer gauntly thin, but you should have put on much more weight in the time you have lived with me."

"What about the tutor? I mean, now that your days aren't as... Full." Sookie pressed.

"The tutor is rather pointless now... Although, I am thinking about hiring a gardener. Yes, it would be lovely to look upon a garden in the light..." Eric's eyes became distant for the smallest of moments, but quickly snapped back to reality, "Ah, I must retrain myself."

"How do you mean?" Sookie asked.

"_I have survived as long as I have by being diligent in observing my surroundings. With the ability to walk about in the sunlight, I am becoming distracted while considering all of the new possibilities."_ He admitted.

"_I see your point. I mean, even if you're not watchin' out for other vampires, there's still plenty of other things that could kill you durin' the day."_ Sookie sighed.

"_We will not be able to leave the house during the day. It is important that we not let anyone know of this ability."_ Eric explained to her.

"_What about when the Reveal occurs? Humans will know you as Vampire, and what if they saw you movin' about the house?"_ Sookie asked worriedly.

"_Humans can be glamoured, and my home is set far off from the street and any other neighbors. We will need to be diligent in our secrecy."_

"_What about the human you hire to cook for me? Or the gardeners you want to hire?" _Sookie pressed.

"_A little glamouring will cure the problem-"_

"_I've felt what glamour does to humans' brains. If you have to glamour them every day to forget them seein' you in the day- you'll fry their minds!"_

Eric sighed, _"Please trust me, Lover. There are ways of instilling glamour on humans that does not require the continued use of it. I can simply attach the mental image of night to their perceptions of me. Therefore, whenever they think of me, they will believe that they have only seen me late in the evening."_

Sookie decided that arguing was pointless. Still, she could not help but wonder if glamouring in such a way was not _more_ dangerous than doing it every day. What if altering their perception caused a paradox in the human's mind? If something entirely contradicted the altered perception, like if Eric sat with her during lunch- a meal served midday, but the cook was _certain_ they had only ever seen Eric at night? Sookie gave her head a rough shake. The idea was making her own head spin.

"You are troubled, Lover." Eric stated plainly.

"I just can't wrap my head around how this will work." Sookie sighed. "What if... I mean the reveal is comin' up anyway... What if you just _told_ them what you are? Not right away or anythin'! But if the people you hire are good, and I don't get any bad vibes off of them- why not let them in on the secrets?"

Eric let out a dissatisfied growl, "I would never-"

"Eric, you said you trusted me to keep you safe durin' the day. Remember?"

"That was while I rested-"

"Please, trust me to keep you safe. If I get the faintest glimmer that you would be betrayed, you do your thing." The plea in his Bonded's eyes, and the sincerity of her voice made Eric want to give in, but a thousand years of survivalist training was combatting it. After all, Douglas had managed to betray him without Eric ever telling him of his vampirism. Apparently André had clued Eric's former assistant in and started the bargaining process.

"I will... Consider your suggestion." Eric conceded the tiniest bit.

"Well... At least you'll give me that much." She said quietly as her thumb traced tiny circles on the back of his hand.

Eric could feel her hurt, and it felt like it was crushing him. Before their Bonding, it was more difficult to read her more minute emotions, and her mild sense of insignificance felt like bitter betrayal now.

"Sookie," Eric stopped mid-step and spun his Bonded around to face him, "I trust in you and your abilities, but you must trust my instincts. Please, trust them to keep us safe."

"We should be a team, Eric." Sookie squeezed his hand tightly, "You function on instinct and experience, but all that instinct and experience can't tell you what I _hear and know_."

Cupping her cheek in his massive hand, Eric tilted her chin so he could lean down and kiss her lips, "You are right, my beautiful Bonded. I know that you are right, but I must retain a modicum of insurance if we are to do this. Understand?"

Sookie nodded, and Eric felt her disappointment vanish, and he smiled in relief.

"You shouldn't feel like you need to fix every little insecurity that flashes through me." Sookie gave him a bemused smile.

"Ah, yes, well- I also knew I could not deny your logic. I am not humoring you, Lover. You truly do have the upper hand on me in these situations. After all, I thought that I had Douglas's loyalty, and it is only by your good graces that I continue to exist." Eric tilted his head to the side to look at her adoringly.

Sookie smiled at him sweetly and accepted another of his kisses before they continued walking.

It was only one in the morning when Eric and Sookie found their way back to Godric's private home. The pair settled in with a movie and curled up on the plush sofa as Sookie sipped on a cold soda they had bought at a convenience store.

"Sometimes," Eric said suddenly during the middle of the film, "I marvel at how many of your experiences are so new to you. The most simple things that I consider mundane completely entrance you still, and I know that many of those things are everyday for most humans."

"Like what?" Sookie asked curiously.

"Like watching movies, or riding in cars... Going shopping in little stores and reading books." Eric sighed, "Such trivial things, and you find them so amazing."

"Is that bad?" Sookie asked hesitantly.

"No, Lover. It is only that now that we are Bonded, I can experience these things as you do. Before, I could tell you were excited or nervous, but I did not _feel_ it. It is almost as if I get to experience your wonderment first hand, and it is rather pleasant. Almost nostalgic." He chuckled.

Sookie giggled, "I'm glad it doesn't bother you, because a lot of this stuff still feels so new! It's even more excitin' knowin' I'll get to experience so much more with you, now that the sun doesn't take you away durin' the day." Eric smiled down at her as he petted her hair softly, "What will we do durin' the day?"

Eric became thoughtful for a moment, "I suppose we will make your lessons during the day time since Pam and I may only be out in public during the evenings... I was beginning to think that we might put a swimming pool in the backyard since you seemed to enjoy that so much today."

"Oh, I don't want you spendin' so much money on-"

"Hush, Sookie, you should know by now that I have no qualms in spending money. If I were unable to afford something, which has yet to happen for several centuries, I would not consider purchasing it." Eric laughed, "Now, would you enjoy having a swimming pool?"

"... Yes..." She mumbled embarrassedly.

"Speak up, Lover. If you are being asked a question, it is important that your answer be heard." Eric chided.

"Yes, Eric. I would like a swimmin' pool." She stated clearly, making him smile.

"Good girl." He kissed the top of her head. "So, your studies will be during the day, as well as your physical training."

"Physical training?" Sookie was flabbergasted.

"Oh, yes. I have wanted to begin training you in more than just self-defense for a while now, but have been waiting because of your base abilities, and general studies getting in the way. Now, it seems, we have plenty of time to squeeze these things in... Also, I will be contacting a few witches and Supes that I know." Eric paused for a second, "And I must prepare you to go to the Queen's court. Unfortunately, the best individual to go to in order to find out if you are indeed part fairy, is André."

Sookie made a face that Eric found amusing. She looked disgusted and horrified as well as more than a bit worried, "Why _him_?"

Eric chuckled, "He has a gift for picking up fairy blood. Even when it is diluted with human."

"Is he goin' to have to... _Taste_ me?"

Eric growled at the very idea, "No. He may have to get fairly close to you, but he'll be able to smell your blood without tasting it. If he so much as licks your flesh, I will have every right to end his existence."

Sookie's eyes widened in surprise, "For somethin' like that, you could _kill_ him?"

"As my Bonded, your body and gift belong to me. If another were to so much as _touch_ you without my permission, I have every right to kill them." Eric told her.

"What about Godric and Pam?" Sookie asked.

Eric gave her an exasperated look, "You already know that I can deny my Maker nothing, but it is considered bad form for a Maker to abuse his Child's Bonded. It would disgrace Godric to do such a thing, but he does have my silent permission to touch you in a respectable manner. He would, of course, never do otherwise- which is why my consent does not need to be spoken. Pam has my permission to make contact with you as well, and she knows better than to overstep her boundaries... Although you are very much her type physically." He winked at her.

"I guess I already knew that." Sookie giggled. "So my relationships with them remains unaltered."

"Correct."

"So... What about you?"

"What about me, Lover?" Eric asked curiously.

"If someone were to touch you; do I have the right to kill them?" Sookie asked seriously, which only made Eric laugh so hard that a bloody tear welled up in his eye. "What's so funny? I'm dead serious!"

"I know, Lover. That is why it is so humorous." Eric continued to chuckle, "It is very rare for vampires to make physical contact to begin with. However, if one were to make advances on me, _I_ would be the one to exact revenge for them disgracing you. Although, the penance for a vampire making advances on a Bonded vampire is usually monetary, and the vampire who committed the act is required to make a formal, public apology to the Bonded human."

"So, if a vampire touches me- you get to kill them. But if a vampire touches you- they give you money and all I get is an apology?" Sookie sneered at that. Eric was surprised at the intensity flowing through his Bonded, and he knew for a fact that anyone foolish enough to touch him would receive a much harsher punishment than they anticipated. "You are _mine_!" Sookie hissed, straddling his lap to look heatedly into his eyes, "And if anyone, vampire or whatever, disrespects our Bond by makin' advances on you- I will take their fuckin' head."

Eric growled possessively at Sookie's declaration before smashing his mouth to hers and pushing forward off of the couch to sit her on the coffee table. Before the girl could fathom what was happening, her clothes were ripped open and Eric was pushing her thighs apart.

"Eric!" Sookie screamed as he pushed roughly into her. Eric crushed his mouth to hers to swallow her cries of discomfort. Soon however, the pain faded, and she was mewling against his lips in pleasure. The vampire could smell the blood from how roughly he had entered her, but it only fueled his passion and intensity.

"Say it, Sookie. Say it again!" Eric growled against her mouth as his hips slammed into hers.

"You are mine!" Sookie screamed, tears pouring from her eyes as she clawed and scratched at his back, her nails digging in to cling to him.

"And who do you belong to?!" Eric snarled.

"You! I belong t-to you, Eric!" She yelled loudly, crying as he gripped her breasts roughly, "All yours! Only yours!"

Eric dipped down swiftly to sink his fangs into her throat, and heard the wood of the table groan at the additional weight. He did not care, even as the table gave out and splintered beneath their bodies. Eric paused only momentarily to keep Sookie from falling onto the debris; holding her body up with one arm while the other supported both of their weight and his mouth nursed the wound on her throat.

Sookie panted as she clung to his frozen body, moaning as he drank from her. When he finally had his fill, the girl found herself bent over the couch, and Eric was soon entering her from behind. She whimpered and cried in pleasure as he moved at vampire speed within her, falling into her second, or maybe third orgasm.

Finally running out of steam, Eric pushed deep within Sookie, filling her with his come. "My Lover, my Bonded. My Sookie." Eric mumbled into her ear as he molded his chest to her back. "My everything..."

Sookie moaned appreciatively, reaching behind her head to hold the back of his as he spoke into her ear. Her legs felt like rubber bands, and she knew if she were to try and stand- they would wobble and collapse beneath her weight. Eric seemed to realize that she was frozen into position, that she was not even sure if the slightest movement would not make her crumble to the floor. To ease her reluctance, Eric lifted her into his arms slightly and pulled her to his chest to spoon on the couch as she continued to catch her breath.

As the girl rested in his arms, Eric continued to kiss her shoulder and palm her breasts in his large hands. She sighed contentedly at his attention and closed her eyes to enjoy the soothing sensations he gave her physically and through their Bond.

Soon, they heard the front door open, but neither cared to move; opting to continue their cuddling, naked on the couch.

"I had a feeling," Godric's voice was coming from the archway, "that I would end up needing to replace furniture during your stay."

Eric chuckled at his Maker's statement, but still did not bother opening his eyes, "I will pay for the damages." He promised.

"It was only a few hundred dollars, nothing to bother with repayment." Godric waved off the offer as Sookie attempted to right her mostly destroyed clothing. "I just wanted to tell your Sookie that I remembered the translations for the knife. In Dwarven, it means One Blood. In Elvish, it means One Soul."

Sookie contemplated this a moment, "So, a knife that is enchanted to bind blood to blood and soul to soul? Like, when I became Eric's Bonded, I became part of your bloodline?"

"I suppose. But that is how Bonding works, it has nothing to do with the blade." Godric shrugged.

"No, but you said it's suppose to bring protection. Well, if I'm fae or witch, then it's my blood that's magical, right? So if I'm your blood, that means you're my blood, too, right?"

"Technically..." Godric frowned, wondering what she was getting at.

"Could that mean that by protection, it means the protection of my blood? Maybe y'all are gettin' a variation of my gifts, or I'll get variations of your gifts." She suggested.

That is an intriguing prospect. Again, though, we come to the general rule that magical protection is not usually so... Discernable." Godric protested.

"I just think that it's more likely that the blade is doin' this, and not some spontaneous, cosmic gift." Sookie shrugged.

Eric leaned forward on the couch a moment, "I believe that we should be patient and see what happens over the next few weeks. I believe Sookie's theory has merit, but also agree that my Master's knowledge of magic is more accurate."

Everyone was quiet a moment before Godric finally asked, "Well, then, to change the subject- I was thinking about our conversation last night. You mentioned that you had discovered who your potential "replacement" would have been, but you never actually told me."

Eric growled slightly, making Sookie's back rattle, "A mouse of a vampire. William Compton is who André picked as an investigator, this meaning he was mostly likely meant to succeed me in the original plan."

Godric frowned, "He is barely well into his hundreds, and André wished to put him in your position?"

"I did not know that you knew of him." Eric was surprised.

"It is his Maker that I am familiar with." Godric sneered, "An unfortunate acquaintance. She does dote on him quite a bit."

"Who is his Maker?"

"Lorena." Eric let out a dissatisfied noise that made Godric smirk, "Yes, it is never good when you are recognized by a first name."

"You are known by only your first name." Eric pointed out.

"Yes, but you are 'The Viking'. It seems that most are afraid to utter your very name." Godric teased his Child, and Sookie could feel the swell of pride in Eric that made her giggle.

"So, this vampire... Compton... He's nothin' really to worry about then?" Sookie asked.

"Not at all. He alone can do nothing. However, he is quite devious." Eric told her, "He is quite good at procuring for the Queen, and to be so accomplished, he must be very good at deceiving. From what I have heard, he has excellent glamouring skills, but seeing as you are immune to glamour- I am unconcerned. So far, his charisma is greatly lacking. I have not at all been impressed by him in our few meetings. However, he has become increasingly curious about you, and I believe your time to finally accompany me on my duties as Sheriff has arrived. Now that you are my Bonded, your behavior will not need to be so subservient."

"What's that mean?" Sookie asked.

Godric smiled, "It means that you will no longer need to stand behind Eric. You may now stand beside him where you belong. You are also permitted to look wherever you wish, including into the face of any other vampire. In regards to communicating with vampires, I suggest that you keep it minimal, mainly because the less you speak, the less information you offer a potential enemy. As you become more aware of the chess game that is communicating with a vampire, the more Eric will encourage you to speak."

Sookie frowned, "If I'm suppose to be his equal, why did he spank me?"

"To discourage any more ill advised experiments. You did not fully think out the potential consequences of talking to Pam behind my back." Eric explained evenly.

"I knew what your point was." Sookie frowned, "I just have never thought of myself as your equal. I've never been anyone's equal. Does that mean I'm suppose to smack you when you do somethin' _I_ think is wrong?"

Eric smirked, "I suppose so. However, it is not _just_ about being "wrong". You put one of our blood in danger. The correction was to prevent you from putting yourself or any of the Ghal line in danger."

"Ghal?" Sookie was momentarily distracted.

"That is the name of our bloodline." Godric explained.

"Oh."

Eric continued after the brief explanation, "If I put your or any of us in danger, it would be more befitting for Godric to reprimand me. However, I am sorry that you misunderstood the nature of the correction. That is a fault that I am greatly disappointed in myself for."

"But," Sookie began carefully, "I'm you're _equal_?"

Eric smiled, "In every sense of the word."

Sookie beamed at him happily, wrapping him up in her arms.

The trio continued to talk, only pausing for a brief moment so Sookie could put on new clothes. As dawn approached, Eric and Godric reveled once again as the call of the sun did not force them into slumber. However, Sookie _did_ collapse against the sofa and into a sudden repose.

Eric and Godric jumped simultaneously at Sookie's apparent faint. Eric was poking at their Bond, but it was completely void of his lover. Normally he could feel her emotions even as she slept, but there was nothing to feel, only her presence. His Sookie had suddenly, and inexplicably, become a void.

"Godric?" Eric asked worriedly, running his chilled hand up and down Sookie's warm arm.

"I do not know, Eric." Godric shook his head in bafflement. "Perhaps, since she is mortal, her body or mind cannot remain conscious indefinitely?" He suggested.

Eric shook his head, "This is not just sleep. There is nothing in our Bond. Usually while she dreams, I can still feel her emotional responses to the dreams she has. There is nothing now." He explained.

"We will let her rest for the day." Godric told him, "If she does not rise at sundown, we will summon Doctor Ludwig."

**TBC**

**A/N: I hope that no one was offended or unnerved by Eric's "correction technique". I know that the dynamic between Sookie and Eric is both unique and... Well, kind of sketchy to be perfectly blunt, but I cannot help but feel that this is how this Eric would handle things. **

**Please remember to review!**

**-Andi**


	11. Chapter 11

****Keep Me

_A/N: Welcome back, Readers, to chapter eleven of __Keep Me__! Thank you for all of the reviews, and the couple of PM's I received! I know the last chapter had a "turned off" feeling for a few of you and I want to thank you for sticking with me after Eric's method of correction. Some of you took it with a grain of salt, rationalized it by saying, "well, Eric is a vampire", but I both recognize and respect that it is not something everyone is capable of dealing with. That said- let us get back to enjoying the less taboo part of our storyline!_

_-Andi_

**Chapter Eleven:**

It was the longest day of Eric's existence, and he wondered, more than once, if this was how Sookie felt without him during the daytime.

Of course, she knew what was happening when he died for the day, and was not consumed with minor bouts of panic and anxiety over him. But, despite his worry, it was not just his concerns that made the day so difficult to get through. He was aching all day to speak with her, to feel her, to just be swallowed by Sookie's love, and that was the part Eric wondered about. Did she miss him this much during the day as he missed her right now? Sure, he had left her alone in the evening many times, but that was only a few hours here and there, and he knew he could always call her to hear her voice if he felt so inclined. Right now, though, he could not do that. His Sookie was just a vacant shell right now, and he had no idea how long she would remain that way.

When dusk finally began to approach, marking a rather long and unproductive day for both vampires who had found themselves fretting over the blonde's condition, Eric watched her expectantly... But her eyes did not flutter open, nor did she stir.

"Call Ludwig." Eric paced nervously.

"Give it a moment, Eric. The sun has just barely sunk below-"

"Please!" Eric begged, and Godric had not seen his Child do that in centuries.

Grabbing his cell phone, Godric dialed Ludwig.

"_Vampire? What has you calling me so early?"_

"My Child's Bonded has... Well, she seems to have died for the day, though her heart still beats and she still breathes. She fell asleep before us, and still has not awakened." Godric explained.

"_Peculiar. Have there been any other abnormalities since the Bonding? I assume this is a recent event." _

"Yes, but nothing that I can explain over the phone." Godric told her.

"_I will appear now."_

And with a "POP", the weathered old doctor was standing in the living room, "Agh! This little girl is overloaded with magic! What in the seven levels of hell did you subject her to?" Ludwig plopped her giant carpet bag on the destroyed coffee table and went over to the girl, "You left her like that all day?" She asked, "Straighten her out on the couch so that she's lying down properly." She pointed at Eric accusingly, "Vampires." She grunted.

Eric quickly laid Sookie out flat on the couch and hovered over the little doctor's back like a rather imposing shadow.

"Back down, Viking." Ludwig spat, "Now, what are these other occurrences you wouldn't speak of?"

Eric stood behind the back of the couch, gazing down at his Bonded, looking very much like the distraught lover that he was.

"Since their Bonding two nights ago... Eric, his Child and I have all become daywalkers." Godric said quietly, as if he feared the walls hearing their new secrets. "Also, Sookie is a telepath- she was one before the Bonding." He quickly told her, "But since the Bonding, she has been able to communicate with the three of us telepathically."

"Does she hear Supes?" Eric could tell that Ludwig was trying her damnedest not to seem like anything Godric had said had shocked her.

"She cannot hear vampires at all, unless it is the three of us and we are letting her. Weres, I believe she could not hear too well, but she stated that they are becoming clearer since the Bonding ceremony. I do not believe she has met any other Supes but vampires and Weres." Godric told her before stating hesitantly, "We believe she might have some fairy blood in her."

Ludwig sneered at Eric, "I know you have a taste for the unique, but subjecting a little girl like this-"

Godric snarled, "You will not speak to my Child in such a manner!"

Ludwig's eyebrows rose, "You may be ancient for a vampire, Godric, but do not forget your place..."

Godric lowered his eyes to Ludwig, "My apologies, Doctor. My concern for my Child outweighed my common sense."

"You are, indeed, correct about this girl being part fae. Have you heard anything about her being part witch?" Ludwig continued after Godric's apology.

"We have heard it as a possibility, but have not had it officially confirmed." Eric glanced at his Maker as he told her this.

"Consider it confirmed." Ludwig grunted. "Now what you have here is a fairy/witch hybrid who has been Bonded to a vampire. That's quite a large cluster of different magics to shove into one little girl."

Tentatively, Godric asked, "I have not heard of a fae/witch hybrid surviving once their spark matures... Will she have any possibilities for surviving it?"

"Remarkably... Yes." Ludwig sighed, "Under certain circumstances, that is." She looked at Eric sternly, "Your Bonding to this girl is the only thing that will allow her to survive once her spark matures. Normally, a fragile mind and body like this cannot support those two potent magics. However, with your blood flowing through her, her magic will not only strengthen, but the vessel it resides in will strengthen, too." Eric's eyes widened.

"Aside from her telepathy, Sookie has not shown any other powers-" Eric began but was cut off.

"She was too young!" Ludwig snapped, "Now, with your essence so strongly infused with hers- expect different powers to start popping up!"

"Such as?" Eric pressed.

Ludwig made a sound in the back of her throat, "Do you have any idea how much those two magics vary in gifts? The only thing you can bank on is teleportation. That is the one fae gift that all fairies manifest. Other than that, her fae magic can be quite dependent on her clan. As for her abilities as a witch... There can only be speculation. Do you know when her telepathy manifested?"

"Perhaps at birth? Definitely since she was three." Eric answered.

"My, my... And a powerful witch's magic at that. Even natural witches do not usually come into such a strong gift so early." Ludwig showed mild intrigue on her face, which meant that she was definitely impressed, "She must have a very strong mind! How is her mental capacity? Is she very smart? Does she learn quickly?"

"I met her about three months ago. At that time she could not even read. With mine and my Child's coaching, she is now reading at nearly a high school level. Her vocabulary expands by leaps and bounds daily." Eric explained, "Since she was surrounded by humans all the time before me, it was difficult for her to concentrate and learn. She had no mental shields, as she was committed to a mental institution at a young age. She was given drugs instead of trained to control her gift."

"I believe that her Witch powers will be mostly mental in nature, then." Ludwig looked down at the girl, "As for her resting like this... Don't be surprised if when she wakes up; she discovers another power. I wouldn't expect her to sleep more than 24 hours at a time, but I get the feeling she should be coming around any time now."

"So, her falling asleep like this is probably the preamble to a new power manifesting?" Godric asked, sounding impressed.

"Yes. I can feel it in her now." Ludwig nodded. "You will need to find a tutor for her in magic. I know of a knowledgeable witch that resides in New Orleans. I will have her contact you... Also, make sure this girl is getting lots of nutrients. She needs more food. I don't know how many of these lapses she'll be having, but it will be best that she is properly fed. She'll be ravenous when she awakens. Keep me in the loop with her progress and powers, and be sure to feed her your blood at least once a week to keep her body growing strong." And with that, Ludwig ***POPPED*** back out of the house.

Godric looked at his Child carefully, "Eric, we need to discuss Sookie's heritage."

"I-"

"Depending on who her clan is, this could be very bad." Godric told him, "You know what shape Elfyria is in, and a hybrid like her will have a _lot_ of enemies and a hell of a lot more interested eyes." Godric began to pace nervously.

"They cannot challenge a Blood Bond, no matter who her kin are." Eric protested.

"That may be true, but they can still file grievances with the Council."

"She was unclaimed!"

"But for what _reason_?" Godric stressed, "Why, no matter her lineage, would the fae leave behind such a gifted offspring? Perhaps because of her witch blood, she cannot survive in Elfyria? Maybe she was put into hiding for being a hybrid to protect her?"

"She has been in my life for months now. If the fae wished to claim her- they would, and _should_ have done it by now." Eric argued.

"Eric, that may be true, but be prepared for backlash from this if her fae kin ever step forward." Godric warned him. "I _will not_ have my progeny executed by fucking fairies!"

Eric was about to speak when his cell phone rang. Reaching into his pocket, he saw that it was Pam calling, "What?" He snapped into the phone.

"_Master, I have a guest this evening."_

"What are you talking about?" Eric sighed, not wanting to deal with this.

"_A Mr. Jason Stackhouse is currently sitting in your living room giving me a very dirty look."_

"Stackhouse!?" Eric growled, "Wait... Jason... I know that name. Jason Stackhouse is Sookie's older brother..."

"_Yes, and he wants to see his sister."_

"What does he smell like, Pam?"

"_A bit sweet, but not like your Sookie."_

"_**What the fuck you mean, "his Sookie"!? She's my goddamn sister, you fuckin' pedos!"**_

"Pamela, were we just accused of pedophilia?" Eric growled angrily.

"_So it would seem." _Pam's voice was a sneer, "_You sit your ass down, Stackhouse!"_

"When Sookie awakens, we will head back." Eric told her. "Glamour the boy to keep him there until we return."

"_Yes, Master."_

"_**'Master?!' What the fuck are you!? Some fuckin' S&M-"**_

Pam's phone cut out and Eric sort of wished he had gotten a chance to hear _that_ conversation.

"I will call the pilot and get a flight back scheduled for you. You might need to take her as is." Godric pointed out.

"No, the last thing I need is to bring her on a plane and have her wake-up mid-flight with a new power. She could teleport or spontaneously combust for all I know." Eric rubbed his eyes as if they were fatigued.

Godric could not help his chuckle, "A fine point." He nodded. "Eric, an argument you could make with her fae kin, should they step forward, is that without you Bonding to her and continuing mutual blood exchanges- she will die."

"Yes, I am already preparing a defense, both politically and physically for them." Eric nodded. "However, right now, I am going to order some food to be brought over, since Ludwig said she should awaken soon."

"I will do that. I know that you do not wish to leave her side." Godric left the room to find a restaurant that delivered. Unsure of what Sookie liked to eat, he ordered a vast variety to compensate.

"My Sookie, when will you awaken for me?" Eric asked gently, brushing his thumb over her cheek, "And what new power are you planning to excite my existence with?" He chuckled.

The food had been delivered nearly a half hour before Sookie's eyes finally began to flutter, and Eric was more than happy to see her brilliant blue eyes staring up at him.

"Welcome back, Lover." Eric nuzzled her cheek, his lips unrestrained with the kisses that they peppered across her face in relief.

"Did I go somewhere?" Sookie mumbled in sleepy confusion.

"You have been asleep for nearly twenty hours." Eric told her, "We have already had a Supe doctor come and look at you."

"I'm hungry..." She told him drowsily.

"Yes, she said you would be. Godric had some food prepared and brought over for when you woke up. I hope that it is still good." He took her hand and helped Sookie stand before opting to carry her to the dining room.

"I can't possibly eat all of this!" Sookie chuckled at the buffet before her.

"Just eat until you are full." Eric laughed as well, "Then we must hurry back to Shreveport."

"Why?"

"Your brother has come to my house."

Every glass and crystal object in the dining room exploded at that statement, leaving them in just the light that came through the archway from the kitchen, and Eric and Godric jumped in time with Sookie's scream of, "WHAT THE FUCK!?"

"Ah," Godric shook off his surprise, as well as the shards of glass that dusted his hair and clothes, "do you suppose that was a manipulation of sonic vibrations, or do you think she can actually blow things up?"

"Just remind me to fill the Bond with 'calm' on the plane ride, or else we might not make it home." Eric sighed before realizing that Sookie was still shaken by the event as well as covered in glass. "It is all right, Lover- just another new power of yours."

"N-new power?"

"Yes," Godric sat across from her after brushing the glass from the cushion, "it would seem that your magical powers will begin manifesting stronger and faster from here on out. Oh, I would not eat any of that now, Little Sookie, there is glass all over the food." Sookie looked forlornly at her meal that she had nearly begun to eat.

"We will take you for food now... Perhaps drop by a convenience store to sate you until a full meal can be prepared." Eric grimaced at Sookie's overwhelming _need_ for food.

"I'm sorry about the glass stuff." Sookie mumbled. "Why did only the glass blow up?"

"Nothing to be sorry about, Little Sookie. And you probably only broke the glass and crystal because it resonates at a higher frequency and is more susceptible to the vibrations you gave off. If that is indeed what your newest gift is doing." Godric guessed, "Eric, I will go out and get Sookie more food. I think it best that we minimize her exposure to the public while you continue your conversations." Godric offered and Eric bowed his head gratefully, "What would you like, Sookie?"

"Meat... Just lots of meat. Beef, bloody." Sookie looked at him as if she had not eaten in days.

Eric chuckled, "Bloody?"

"It's all I want." Sookie told him, "It feels like if I don't get it _now_ I will die... Now, why is my brother at your house?" She asked as Eric brought her into the kitchen and away from the glass shards after shaking the debris out of their hair and clothes.

"I am uncertain, but I get the feeling it has something to do with your trip to the police station. That is the only way I can think that he would have found out about you living with me, or _where_ I reside." Eric looked at her curiously, "What do you remember of him?"

Sookie shrugged, "Nothin' really. The last time I saw him was before my parents sent me to the mental hospital. When Gran had me released, Jason had gone to live with our Aunt Linda before I came to live with her. She told me it was 'cause Jason was nervous about livin' with me 'cause he thought I was mentally ill, but he never came to visit ever..." Sookie looked a little sad about this, but Eric understood that it was the sting of rejection, and not that she had missed him. "I never knew him."

Eric nodded, "Well, he has come to find you, Sookie, and you will be meeting with him soon. Do you think you can get through this without blowing anything up?" He asked, teasingly.

Sookie giggled, "I think so... I've only used that power once, but I already feel like I know how it works. Is that weird?"

Eric shook his head, "I am sure that with your experience with telepathy, you are quite capable of recognizing your triggers."

"It's not just that," Sookie pressed, "it's like I... As soon as I knew that I'd done that to the cabinet, it was like all these things clicked in my brain and I knew exactly why and how it happened."

"Do you think you could use it again?" Eric asked.

Sookie nodded and looked at the paper towel holder across the island from her. Eric watched in surprise as it began to wobble until it toppled over the edge of the counter where it fell to the floor.

"You are telekinetic now..." Eric said softly.

"I guess... That means to move objects with your mind, right?" Sookie double checked.

"Yes Lover." Eric kissed her crown. "But we should not experiment anymore until you have eaten." He realized that it would probably drain her further if they did.

They chatted for a while, Sookie's grumbling stomach the punchline of a few jokes, until Godric arrived with more food.

"Why are the paper towels on the floor?" Godric asked as he set the bag of food in front of Sookie.

She tore into it with a quick, "Thank you!" as Godric bent over to pick up the paper towel roll.

"Sookie is telekinetic." Eric enlightened him.

"That will be a nice addition to your gifts, Little Sookie." Godric smiled encouragingly before looking to Eric, "Shall I call the air field to schedule your flight out?"

"Yes, thank you." Eric nodded, grateful for his Maker's attentiveness. "Sookie, I am going to pack up our belongings while you eat. I will be gone only a moment." He kissed her head before dashing off to their guest room.

Sookie ate with great vigor as Godric whipped out his cell phone yet again, and true to his word, Eric was back before Sookie was even halfway through with her steak.

"You are eating rather quickly, Lover." Eric chuckled, "I did not realize you were so ravenous."

Sookie giggled around another chunk of meat as she cut up the rest of her meal. When she finished, Eric scooped away the container and took Sookie off to the bathroom.

"I thought you might like to be showered and in clean clothes before meeting your brother for the first time in so long." Eric told her as he turned on the shower.

"Oh, thank you. That would probably be best." Sookie blushed, "The last thing I want is for him to think I really am crazy."

Eric sighed, "Lover, do not let your self-confidence falter now. You have been growing so much stronger lately, and I would hate to see that taken away from you by someone you do not even know anymore."

Sookie gave him a weak smile before stripping out of her clothes and stepping into the shower. She made quick work of cleaning herself up, and Eric helped her dry her hair since they were now in a hurry. Eric had also laid out a lovely sundress for her with strappy, high heeled sandals that she thought was flirty, but very grown-up.

The plane ride itself was rather uneventful, and Sookie could feel Eric sending her calm encouragement through their Bond. At first she wondered if she was more anxious than she felt, and that was the reason Eric seemed so intent on sending these feelings. Then, she realized that he was probably more afraid of her having a sudden bout of panic and blowing up the entire plane. She had to admit, as morbid as the thought was, at least her Bonded was thinking ahead.

When they landed, Pam was there to pick them up. Her usual impatient glare had a bit more edge than usual, and Eric could feel his Child's irritations.

"I have subdued the brother." She told her Maker as he and Sookie slid into the back of her minivan. "He is sitting in the living room watching TV."

"You left him there by himself?" Sookie was surprised that Pam would do such a thing.

"He is glamoured." Pam shrugged.

"You glamoured my brother?" She asked aghast.

"Yes."

Eric chuckled at Pam but instead decided to state, "Sookie has telekinetic powers now."

"_Really_? Well that will certainly make things interesting." Pam quirked an eyebrow skyward at the news.

"Yes, and we three shall have much to discuss once everything with Sookie's brother is taken care of." Eric nodded.

The drive was quick, with how fast Pam was behind the wheel, and they were soon pulling into Eric's driveway. The light from the TV could be seen from where they sat parked, and Sookie could feel her nerves amping up at the thought of seeing her brother for the first time in over a decade.

"You will be fine, Sookie." Eric reassured her, "Remember that Pam and I are always here for you. No matter what happens, or what he says."

"Just... Don't do anythin' to him, no matter what he says to me. I may not have any connection to him, but he couldn't have understood what I was, or what was happenin' around me." She said quietly.

"All right, Sookie." Eric sighed, "Now, let us get this over with." He squeezed her hand before opening the door and stepping out, holding onto her hand to assist her out as well.

Pam followed behind them into the house, and went to the living room. Once she was standing where she wanted, Sookie could feel the glamour on her brother disperse, and she watched him tentatively as he came back to his head.

"Your sister has returned." Pam stated blandly, making Jason stand up quickly and whirl around to look at Sookie.

"Oh my God, Sis! You look great!" He sounded surprised and, amazingly, relieved. "This is gonna sound horrible, but when I heard Bartlette's house exploded and you weren't in it- I was so happy!"

"Happy?" Sookie asked in confusion.

"Yeah! I mean, I know he was your legal guardian and all that, but he wouldn't let me come t'see you or nothin'!" Jason stepped over to her quickly and enveloped her in his arms, much to Eric's disdain. "I thought after Gran died, I might get to come see you for a change, but Uncle Bartlett was just as much of a Sookie hoarder as Gran!"

"Wh-what are you talkin' 'bout?" Sookie gaped in utter confusion.

Jason cocked his head slightly in similar confusion, "Din nobody tell ya? When Mamma and Dad died, Gran sent me to live with Aunt Linda. When Gran died, I thought you'd come t'live with us, too, but Aunt Linda wouldn't have it. So you got sent to Uncle Bartlett-"

"Please stop calling him "Uncle"." Sookie hissed, and a bulb of a nearby lamp exploded, making Jason yelp in surprise. Pam's eyes widened, and Eric gripped Sookie's hand firmly, sending as much love and calm as he could through the Bond.

"Wh-what the fuck was that!" Jason shouted, as he seemed to be the only one affected by the sudden explosion.

"Power surge." Pam told him without hesitation, "We've been meaning to have an electrician come look into it." She then went to retrieve the broom and dustpan.

"Sookie," Jason shook off his unease over the lamp, "when I heard about the explosion and Bartlett bein' dead, I went to the police in Bon Temps, and even the other local PD's and told them I was your brother. When you came to the Shreveport police, they contacted me and told me where to find you after they made sure I was who I said I was. Sookie..." She could hear every single thing Jason had been told by the police about her and she could not hold the tears at bay. Eric could feel her shame, her utter horror that Jason knew, at least a bit, about what Bartlett had done to her. "Sookie, I shoulda... I shoulda been there. I shoulda protected ya, and taken ya outta there-"

"P-Please, s-stop." Sookie shook her head, bringing her hands to her eyes, and taking Eric's along for the ride as she swiped at treacherous tears. Pam had returned to the new atmosphere and stood, broom and dustpan in hand, taking in the drama.

"Nah, Sooks, I can't, 'cause I'm yer big brother and it shoulda been me watchin' out for ya." Jason leaned in to wrap Sookie up in his arms, "I'm so sorry I din' take care of ya-"

"Please, stop." She sobbed into Jason's chest even as her hand dropped Eric's so that her arms could wrap around her brother tightly. As much as his thoughts inflamed her self-degradation, it was his underlying thoughts about them that she wanted to feel. The way Jason felt protective and furious for her was the most reassuring feeling in the world to the lost little girl inside of her. Finally, deep in a sunken void in her heart that had only seemed a hollow insult the last six years; a family member, alive, and caring about her.

"Shh, Sooks, shhh." Jason rocked her a bit, "There's some'n I gotta ask ya, some'n I always wondered about... I know it's not right to do this now, but... When we was kids..." He pulled away to look in her, red, watery eyes, "Mamma and Dad said you were crazy, but... You weren't. I remember us playin' games with it. You really could hear inside people's heads, couldn't ya?"

"_What is he getting at, Lover?"_ Eric asked her telepathically.

"_He just wants confirmation. There's no ulterior motives"_ She assured.

"_You are sure?"_

"_Yes."_ Sookie looked at Jason, "Yes. I can." She told him softly, gently.

Jason let out a long sigh. "Good."

"Good?" Eric growled, but Sookie knew it was not his vampiric one.

"Yeah, 'cause I never thought my sis was crazy, and I'd've hated t've been wrong." Jason shrugged. "But... Y'know... It's not good at all!" He seemed suddenly enlightened, "Sooks! You were in a mental hospital for _years_, and you wasn't even crazy!"

Eric looked completely annoyed at this point. _"He is slow."_

"Oh hush." Sookie snapped then blushed when she realized that it was aloud and not telepathically. Eric chuckled.

"So... I was hopin' that we could hang out and stuff. Get to know each other finally..." Jason almost seemed shy, and Sookie could hear in his mind that he did not feel like he deserved the opportunity.

"I'd like that." Sookie smiled at him.

"And, umm... Eric, right?" Jason looked over the girl's shoulder at the large blond that stood just behind his sister, "I appreciate everythin' you've done and are doin' for my sister. If I had anythin' t'give ya t'show how much it means to me- I'd do it, but I ain't got much."

"Just give me your word, that from this moment, you will do nothing to hurt or put Sookie in harms way." Eric told him sternly.

Jason screwed up his face into his best "Serious face" and nodded, "I'd die first."

Leaning in, Eric said darkly, "I will hold you to that." And Jason shuddered at Eric's tone, feeling that he was entirely serious, which only made Eric smirk.

"You are welcome here any time, Stackhouse." Eric nodded.

Pam stood next to the Tv, having watched the scenario unfolding while cleaning up the broken glass. She had been hoping for a bit more drama, but a short lived sobbing Sookie, exploding lamp, and a single, direct threat would have to suffice for the evening's entertainment.

"But, Stackhouse." Eric said warningly which made Pam perk up with hope, "If you ever mention Sookie's gift so openly, I will break your neck. You must understand that such a gift can be misused, as well as put her in danger."

Jason gulped, "Y-Yes, sir."

"Are you spendin' the night, or headin' home?" Sookie asked, deciding to break the cold silence that had washed over everyone.

"Uh, I guess I'll be headin' on home. Sooks, you got a phone or anythin'?" Jason grimaced, not quite comfortable with spending the night in his little sister's boyfriend's house.

"I will give you the house number." Eric told him, holding out a hand to Pam, who was already handing over a piece of paper with the number scribbled on it. "Sookie has not yet needed a cell phone, since she rarely leaves the house without Pam or I."

"Why's that?" Jason asked, taking the paper.

"She does not know how to drive yet."

"And I don't really have any friends that I hang out with other than them." Sookie mumbled, making Pam smirked at the realization that Sookie did not want her brother to know that Eric would not allow his Bonded to leave the residence without him. The boy would not understand, and Sookie knew that already. Pam proudly acknowledged the telepath's conclusions.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot..." Jason snapped his fingers suddenly, "A coupla days ago... Actually, the same day I went to the Shreveport PD, a guy showed up at my house askin' bout you."

Sookie trembled, "Wh-who?"

"Dunno, but he asked if I was your brother and I said "Yeah", and then he asked me if I knew where you were, but I said it was none of his business... 'Course I _didn't_ know where you were yet, 'cause the police were doin' a background check on me 'for they'd let me know where you was at." He looked a bit chagrinned.

"What did he look like?" Sookie asked tentatively.

"Older guy... Prolly in his 50's or 60's?" Jason shrugged, and Eric could feel Sookie relax.

"_I was afraid it was the guy Bartlett was goin' to sell me to."_ She told him when he gave off a wave of curiosity.

"Had a weird name, too." Jason frowned, "Damn, what was it? Briget? Brinet?"

"_Brigant!?_" Eric nearly shouted, making Sookie and Jason jump and leaving Pam wide-eyed.

"Yeah! Niall Brigant. Y'know him?" Jason was surprised.

"Fuck." Pam and Eric said in unison, and now Sookie was worried. "What did he want with Sookie?" Eric demanded.

"I dunno. Just wanted to know where she was." Jason gave a weak shrug. "He was a bit... Ugh- I dunno. He rubbed me the wrong way. Gave off this "I'm better than you" attitude and got all high and mighty." He sneered, "I kinda stopped listenin' to him when he started talkin' like that."

Eric smirked, "Yes, Niall _does_ think he is better than everybody. However, if he is asking about Sookie, it is important that you not tell him anything. Not a thing." He pressed.

"'Course not! Hell, I can't even trust _family_ 'round my lil sister, you think I'd trust a complete stranger? If it weren't for what the cops said 'bout you and how you been takin' care of Sooks and teachin' her to read and stuff- I wouldn't trust you any further than I could throw ya!" Jason declared. "The ways I see it- you're the only good thing that's ever happened to Sookie, and I ain't 'bout to fuck that up for her any." Calming down a bit, Jason continued, "Anyway, if ya see a guy with long white hair, and a beard, turn right around. He decked me in the face when I told him to fuck off and leave ya alone. Busted my lip open and everything."

Eric could feel the swell of blooming love in Sookie. He had never felt his lover take to someone so quickly as Jason, and despite the fact that he knew it was the love of a sibling- Eric could not help but feel jealous.

"Thank you, Jason. Everything you've been sayin' tonight really means a lot to me." Sookie told him, "Honestly, I was really nervous about seein' you again... But you've surprised me in a really nice way, and... Thank you."

"Hey, now." Jason grimaced as he saw tears forming in Sookie's eyes, "If you're happy, don't go cryin'! I din' come to make you cry or nothin'... Just gimme a smile, why don't ya?" Sookie gave him her best watery grin, "That's a bit better." Jason laughed, "But, you're all I got left, Sooks, and I've had you kept away from me too long. I don't wanna go my whole life never knowin' my own sister."

Brushing away a stray tear, Sookie leaned in and gave Jason a firm hug, "You should get goin', it's gettin' late." Sookie gave him a hard squeeze, "You gimme a call later, and we'll make plans to get together again real soon. Maybe lunch or somethin'." She pulled away to smile at him happily, "Thanks again, Jason."

"See ya later... Sis." Jason winked back and walked himself to the door with a final wave.

Sookie let out a long breath she had been holding once the door was closed, "So," she began slowly, "who's Niall Brigant?"

Eric looked slightly uncomfortable, which made Sookie nervous, "He is a fairy. A very powerful one, both magically and politically."

"You don't think he could be a relative, do you?" Sookie asked.

"It is possible... I will need to contact him." Eric sat down on the couch heavily. "It is only 2 AM, I will do that now." He reached into his pants pocket for his cell phone.

"He has a fairy on speed dial?" Sookie asked in surprise.

"Sometimes," Pam told her quietly, "it is important for enemies to be able to contact each other to avoid even more violence. The fae, though usually quite uninvolved in this world, should not be taken lightly. They have their own means of protecting and defending themselves, and they can be extremely dangerous."

"_Viking," _Niall's voice was surprised when he picked up the phone, _"why the hell are you calling me all of the sudden?"_

"I heard that you recently visited a Jason Stackhouse. I would like to know why." Eric responded firmly.

"_Since when do my movements in the human realm need to be coordinated with you?"_ He sneered back.

"Because I believe that your contacting him has something to do with Sookie, and she is under my protection. Now answer the question." Eric kept his voice even.

"_Your protection, eh? So, Sookie is with you. Well, rest assured, you no longer need to fill that role. I will be collecting my kin now that I know where she is." _Niall's voice was a smile, and Eric frowned now that he had confirmed whom Sookie's Fae relatives were.

"You will find it quite impossible to teleport onto my grounds, Niall. And I do not approve of the threat." Eric growled low in his throat.

"_Listen, _Viking_, Sookie is my blood, and I have higher rights to her than-"_

"Listen, Prince," Eric cut him off, "Sookie is my Bonded, and any rights you have to her are strictly monetary if you wish to charge me a bride price. She has been with me for months, and you had plenty of time to step forward with your demands."

"_Your Bonded..." _Niall sounded angry, perhaps even nervous, _"I would have come forward sooner if I'd known of the child's existence. My son, Fintan, only just told me about her. He lost his trace on her, and finally told me of her existence to help track her back down."_

"Save your sob stories for the Council, Niall. There is nowhere you can take her that she cannot leave at her will, or that I would not follow and retrieve her myself."

"_She can teleport? But she's not even in her twenties!"_ Niall gasped.

"Vampire blood, does a body good." And Eric hung up.

"Eric?" Sookie asked tentatively, "Am I going to be taken away?"

Eric smiled gently, "No, my little lover." He opened his arms, beckoning her into them, which she immediately fell into, "You cannot be taken away from me. Even by Niall."

"Will he try and take her without going through the Council?" Pam asked.

"Even if he thought to- he would not bother now. Sookie has never shown signs of iron sensitivity, and that is the only way for a fairy to keep another fairy from teleporting without afflicting another's ability." Eric smirked.

"She can teleport?" Pam was surprised.

"Not yet, but it is my understanding that it is only a matter of time until she can. However, that little omission will deter Niall from trying to take her. He probably figured he could catch her off guard during the day, take her to Elfyria and still have a decade or so to figure out how to keep her from teleporting out once the power manifested." Eric explained. "As it is, Niall, nor any other fairy, can come onto my property."

"Why's that?" Sookie asked curiously.

"I have made it a point to secure my properties in as many ways as possible. Be it through technology or magic. I have hired witches to secure my properties against magical entry. Usually witches cannot interfere with fae magic, but teleporting is one of the few powers a fairy uses that can be negated by witches. Fortunately, a witch is required to perform that spell, and it cannot be done by a fairy. They _can_ use wards, but they are only one sided. Either you can teleport in, but not out, or teleport out, but not in. With your telekinesis, you would be able to undo any locking mechanism they would have, and let yourself out. Therefore, if Niall were to take you, he would not be able to keep you from teleporting away without a witch present." Eric explained.

"So, you know a real witch, but you never introduced her to me? Even though we were all unsure if I was one for sure or not?" Sookie frowned.

"I would not have wanted you to meet her alone, and this witch has made it perfectly clear that she refuses to come anywhere near me." Eric smirked. "You see, that coven Angie belonged to was not being cruel when they chose not to associate with you when I am near." Sookie nodded, but Eric could tell that it still stung to remember her exclusion from the coven. "However, I still stand by my belief that the High Priestess was _not_ an empath."

"So, your Sookie is now telekinetic as well as telepathic, and Godric, you and myself are now all daywalkers." Pam decided to steer the topic to what she had been waiting for since long before Jason had arrived, "You also said that I will be able to communicate with Sookie telepathically if I want to?"

"Ah, yes." Eric nodded, "It seems that if you focus on Sookie while you are thinking and purposely project your thoughts to her- she is able to hear them. I found that it worked easier if I was looking at her when I was first learning to do it."

"Interesting." Pam looked intrigued, "But you cannot hear me otherwise, Sookie?"

"No, it's actually really weird, 'cause there are people who _do_ project their thoughts, but I can always hear all the other little thoughts going around in their heads. In this case though, all I hear is what you are sending me intentionally... Like... What's that thing you call it when you're reading in your head?"

"Subvocalization." Eric supplied.

"_So, you can hear me if I do this?"_ Pam asked.

"Yes." Sookie nodded to Pam. "You caught on to that pretty fast." She laughed.

Pam smirked, but said nothing in response to Sookie's realization, "So, Sookie is a witch, too?"

"Yes, and amazingly, Dr. Ludwig believes that her Bonding to me is the only thing that will allow her to survive once her fairy spark matures entirely... The only thing is, I have yet to see any fae magic. Telekinesis and telepathy are both witches' gifts." Eric frowned.

"Fae don't develop into their powers until 28, though." Pam frowned as well, "Perhaps those powers won't manifest until then?"

Eric shook his head, "No, Ludwig said they will come sooner, but perhaps her witch specialties will develop first."

Eric quickly explained everything he had heard from Ludwig, as well as told Sookie that she would be receiving a mentor for her witchcraft. Sookie looked both excited and afraid of this new information. "But... I thought you said witches don't want to be around vampires...?"

"Depends on the witch. It is not common for them to associate with us, but it is mostly because they know the dangers behind putting themselves close to us. Most have been known to curse themselves with booby traps, so if the vampire were to do anything to them- they would suffer, sometimes lethal, consequences." Eric shrugged, "However, I have no intention of harming this witch, unless she proves untrustworthy. I do not anticipate that being a problem, though, because Ludwig would never send someone like that to me."

"Why not?" Sookie asked curiously.

"Dr. Ludwig is a neutral party among Supes. She goes where she is needed despite her patients' heritage and reputations. The only thing you must do to keep Ludwig from reining horror upon your life is to threaten her well-being. As long as you remain respectful of her- she will impose nothing harmful on you."

Sookie nodded in understanding, "So, what do we do now? I mean, we don't need to sleep anymore, so how will we fill all of this extra time we have?"

"Sookie, you have expressed how much you want to expand your knowledge and education." Eric looked at her surprised, "Now, there are just more hours in the day for us to accomplish this."

Giggling to herself, Sookie nodded in agreement, "I guess you're right."

"And speaking about our daytime activity," Eric turned to Pam, crossing his arms over his chest, "I believe that your punishment for yesterday morning still needs to be received."

Pam grimaced as Eric stared at her intently. "My computer?" She asked and Eric glared, "My credit cards?" He continued to glare, "And the set?" She asked, and Eric glared harder, "And my hair products..?" He smiled and nodded at last.

With a noticeable pout, Pam went to her purse and handed over her wallet, then brought Eric her laptop. After that, she left for another fifteen minutes, only to return with a pillow case bulging with her hair care products.

"And the set." Eric reminded her.

The vampiress's shoulders slumped as she went to Eric's office. Sookie and Eric followed, watching as Pam removed a painting from the wall behind the desk and opened a heavy wall safe. Sookie could see the slight tremble in Pam's hands as she reached for a wooden box inside. Setting the box upon Eric's desk, Pam opened it at last, recoiling at the large silver manacles and collar. The thought of having the wear them for the next twelve hours was torture in itself, but still, Pam reached for one of the cuffs. Only, when her fingers touched it- they did not burn.

Looking up in surprise, Pam stared at Eric who was already walking over to place his own hand to the metal. And nothing.

Letting out an unneeded breath, Eric turned to Sookie and told her, "Inform Godric that we are no longer affected by silver."

Sookie nodded slowly before delivering the message telepathically. Godric responded with only mild surprise, which made Sookie think that he was beginning to come to some interesting conclusions about what was happening to all of them.

"You seem quite thoughtful, Lover. What is on your mind?" Eric asked a little while later.

Sookie shook her head slightly, "Just thinkin' about the names of the Bloodletting Blade." Eric smiled as she nibbled her bottom lip contemplatively, " 'One Blood' and 'One Soul'... Those were the two names originally, and you said it was suppose to grant protection. So, could the blade's protection be that we give each other our strengths because now we're all one blood and soul? If I get turned ever, does that mean we all lose those abilities?"

Placing an arm over Sookie's shoulder, Eric stared forward at the wall, taking in her questions and pondering her theories, "I suppose that those things may be possible. Unless we were to speak to the original forger and enchanter of the blade, it is difficult to conclude what its abilities truly are. Of course enchantments leave their own evidence, but for an item so old... Some of the enchantments placed on the blade are so ancient that they are no longer practiced, and therefor, difficult to recognize or discern the properties of."

"So, what does that mean for us?" Sookie asked gently.

With a comforting smile, Eric replied, "It means that we accept the gifts we are given, and that we do not become indignant if they are taken away. We must exist as though every day and night we continue to bask in the happiness of our new found abilities could be our last time to enjoy them."

"That's kind of sad." Sookie frowned.

"That is life. It has its freedoms and it has its sacrifices. Right now, we are swimming in the glow freedom, but tomorrow, we could be trapped once more in the shadows of sacrifice... But that darkness makes the light that much brighter..."

**TBC**

**A/N: Read and review, Everyone!**

**-Andi**


	12. Chapter 12

****Keep Me

_A/N: Good evening, Readers. In honor of my lovely Ravens winning the Superbowl, I decided to give you an early chapter! Yes, there will still be a chapter on Tuesday, so you all better get your reviews for chapter twelve in promptly! I shall be dutifully keeping an eye on my alerts. Do not let me down, everyone!_

_-Andi_

**Chapter Twelve:**

It was nearly sunrise when Eric's phone went off, startling all of them since it was such a rarity for others to call so close to dawn. When Eric saw the caller's name, he answered it quickly.

"News?" Eric asked apprehensively.

"_He received a phone call around midnight... Afterwards, he was completely irate! I know the bastard's temperamental, but this went beyond anything I've witnessed here."_

"Any idea about the caller?" Eric asked.

"_Blocked, but I know it wasn't a vampire. If it were, he would have taken his anger out on the caller, or contacted Sophie-Anne if it were another Regent. Instead he remained completely restrained until after the call ended. He contacted Compton afterwards and BAM!.. I __**did**__hear something about you, though. I heard him say, "the Viking got there first", that's how he put it."_

"Fuck."

"_You've found out what he was after?"_

"I found it months ago and did not realize I had it right away... I had my suspicions, though. Especially as of late..." Eric growled.

"_What is it?"_

"I cannot say... Did he give any hints as to what he was looking for? Did it sound like _he_ knew what it was?" Eric asked slowly and the pause his "ear" gave, made him suspicious, "Tell me." He ordered.

"_It sounds like they were looking for a person..."_

Eric sighed, "Okay, keep your ears open and let me know if you learn of anything else. Pay especially close attention for the next few days. I need to know in what capacity he wanted to use them for."

"_Yes, Sir."_ And the phone clicked, signaling the end of the conversation.

"Master?" Pam eyed Eric curiously. She, of course, had heard both sides of the conversation, but she was curious if her assumptions were the same as his.

"I believe that we have received as close of a confirmation as we will get about what it is André is after." Eric was not taking his eyes off of Sookie, "And by the sounds of it- Niall, Fintan, or both of them are responsible for André's interest in you, Sookie." Eric stooped down to take Sookie's hands in his, "I think we should all operate under the assumptions that there is something even more special about you than we first thought."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Sookie asked tentatively.

"Telepathy _is_ a good reason for André to want you, but not a good enough reason for him to keep you secret from his Queen and Maker... Niall or Fintan must know something special about you that we are still unaware of, something they were using as a bargaining chip for finding you. Something that would be especially appealing to André." Eric released her hands to begin pacing and he became contemplative.

"Well, if she is related to Niall, then that means she _is_ royalty. Even if she cannot succeed the throne, she could still become a governing force in Elfyria." Pam was thinking aloud.

Eric made a small, dissatisfied noise, "Sookie could, but it would mean nothing to a vampire. It cannot benefit André at all if he had Sookie and she were a political figure in Elfyria."

"What if she _is_ eligible to succeed the throne?" Pam pressed.

"That would only be beneficial if André were a..." Eric frowned, "_King_."

"Which would be a good reason for André to keep his actions from Sophie-Anne." Pam's eyebrows were raised to her hairline. "Did we just stumble upon a royal assassination plot?" She gasped.

"And not just any plot... André would not just be trying to take over a domain. He would be plotting the assassination of his Maker as well." Eric was completely flabbergasted.

"But Sophie-Anne has always had _complete_ loyalty from her Children." Pam looked stunned.

"He is her oldest Child." Eric crossed his arms over his chest, "Even so, this is highly irregular, though not unheard of."

"What do we do?" Pam asked quietly.

"André will not attempt making a move against Sophie-Anne if he cannot have Sookie. However, my survival might be put at risk if André wishes to try and take her regardless. He may wish to finish what he started, even at the risk of his own, continued existence."

"Eric!" Sookie wailed.

"Hush, Lover, that brat cannot accomplish such a thing, especially with me no longer being vulnerable during the day. Pam, I wish for you to take extra precautions in case he tries to go after you to get to me. Right now, my girls are the best way to go after me, and I must keep you safe." He told Pam and Sookie. "André is older than Pam, and can quite easily subdue her, especially if he uses his subordinates."

Pam sneered, "I will never fall prey to that weasel."

Eric smirked, "Now, then, since we have discussed our current situation and reached a few conclusions- I suggest we get on with Sookie's lessons for the day, and continue our counter measures later, once we have all had time to consider the options. Pam, I would like for you to call up a domestic service and see about acquiring a cook and maid for the household... Also, start checking the real estate. Despite our newly developed immunities, it is beginning to look suspicious that I have yet to relocate after the attempt on my existence. Sookie really enjoyed swimming while we were at Godric's, so look into houses with a pool, or property large enough to sustain one. And, see about hiring me a new day man since we cannot risk being seen in public during the daytime still. You know most of my specifications, but make sure that Sookie's personal maid is a female since she will be the one interacting with her the most."

"Yes, Master." Pam nodded before leaving to perform her Makers orders.

"Sookie, go collect your text books and meet me in the study." Eric told her.

"Could we... Study out on the back patio instead? It's really pretty out today." Sookie requested.

Eric grinned at the very idea, "A marvelous idea, my Lover." Eric leaned in and kissed her lips. "Go grab your materials, and I will set up a work station for you."

Sookie bounced off to collect her books and papers as Eric began moving materials of his own outside. He had invested in a whiteboard when he had first started teaching Sookie, and now was dragging it out of his study and onto the back patio. It had become a necessity, since it provided a distance between them. When Eric had first started teaching Sookie, he had merely sat beside her, showing her equations and explaining historical events right next to her. However, the close proximity lead to distractions, and though Eric prided himself for his self-control, even he was a slave to Sookie's carnal wiles. And he would not change that for the world.

When his pupil stepped outside, there was a small table and chair set up in front of the whiteboard and a glass of iced, sweet tea sweating in the sunlight.

Eric began their lessons with mathematics, as always, and Sookie knew he did this because it was her hardest subject. They were just beginning long division, and Sookie was still stumbling around her times tables. It was a thorn in her side, to say the least, because it was the only subject she had failed to expand in at an accelerated pace. Next was history, something Sookie quite enjoyed, mostly because it was like story time. Eric's lectures were actually real accounts of how he experienced an era, or things he had seen and done during those times. English, Sookie's favorite subject, was midday, and while Pam was usually the one who taught those lessons- Eric was now covering all of her classes since he did not have to leave for Sheriff's duties in the middle of the day. Lastly, Science was on their agenda, and Sookie had mixed feelings about this particular subject. On one hand, she found it fascinating, on the other- it seemed to limit her perception on reality. For someone who knew first hand that not _everything_ could be explained by science, yet, Sookie did not know how much stock to put in it.

It was around eleven when Pam interrupted their English class, "Eric, I have contacted a couple of agencies and they have all responded with a few applicants that could be available for interviews. I have scheduled three for today, and another five for tomorrow." Pam told him, "The first one is at 1:30, and she will be interviewing for the housekeeping position, as well as another at 2:45. The third for today is to be interviewing for the day man position at four."

"Very good, Pam. Sookie, I would like you to sit in on the interviews."

"Okay... Can I ask why?" Sookie gave him a curious glance.

"I would like to make sure that you like your maid. Also, I want you to read through their minds and judge their potential loyalties as well as competence." Eric explained.

"I guess I could manage that a lot easier now that we can communicate telepathically." Sookie laughed.

"Pamela, help Sookie dress for the meeting. I want her to exude the aura of "lady of the house." Try and make her appear a bit older, though. I do not want the help misinterpreting Sookie's role in this household." Eric told her.

"I have just the outfit." Pam grinned.

Eric nodded with a wave of his hand, a signal for her to take Sookie and get her prepared for the interviews. While the women were gone, Eric got the patio cleaned back up and Sookie's textbooks back in their bedroom. Now that he thought about it, the safe room was rather obsolete, although he planned to stow Sookie away in such a place when she had her power surges and was rendered incapacitated. However, he thought about lying in bed with her, sunlight filtering in through a window as he touched her skin and ran his lips over the curves of her body... Yes, he needed to build, not buy a home. A call to his architect would need to be made.

"Now, let me see..." Pam leered at Sookie appreciatively, "Hmm, light blue is definitely your color, and a white pencil skirt... Yes, that will be perfect and some white pumps." The vampire tore apart her own closet to find the items Sookie needed, and the girl was shocked when her clothes were being pulled from her body. She was soon dressed in what Pam had just described. A powder blue blouse was buttoned up and tucked loosely into the white pencil skirt, and Sookie had no idea how Pam had managed to get her feet into the high heeled pumps she was now wobbling in. "Don't worry, you will be sitting the entire time, but those shoes will make you look smart and intimidating." Pam assured her. "Now, keep your face relaxed during the interviews and remain a silent observer. If you need to tell Eric something or have questions, or need to direct his line of questioning- do it telepathically. Only speak if he makes a motion for you to, or prompts you to telepathically. Got it?"

Sookie nodded weakly, "Umm, is there a certain way I should sit? There was this movie Eric and I were watchin' and they were sayin' that real ladies don't sit with their legs crossed."

"Yes, just cross your legs at your ankles, don't cross them at the knees. Then just let them lean either to the right or the left, whichever is more comfortable for you." Pam nodded as Sookie mimicked the instructions by sitting on the bed. "Just like that, yes. All right! You can take those shoes off until the interview, but we will be practicing on making you walk in heels. Confident, self-assured women wear heels!"

"Really?" Sookie was surprised, "I thought business women were suppose to wear like... Suits and stuff."

Pam sneered, "A real woman _owns_ the fact that she is a woman. It takes a brain to run a business, not a penis. Women shouldn't have to hide behind a three piece suit to be taken seriously in business or politics."

Sookie nodded in understanding as she slipped off the heels and stood up to go back downstairs. "We can practice downstairs until we have to do the interviews."

"Very good, Little Sookie." Pam laughed that special way that only Pam could, mirthful, but always at someone else' expense. When they arrived in Eric's study, where the interviews would be held, Sookie put her shoes back on and began teetering around the room coltishly. "Move your hips from side to side as you walk." Pam instructed as she made a show of swaying her hips.

Sookie tried to mimic the action, but only accomplished looking like a fool.

"Roll your hips. _Roollllll_ them." Pam stressed, doing another strut and giving a secondary visual aid of a slow saunter.

Eric was leaning in the doorway, watching with amusement as Sookie tried to copy his Child's movements. When Sookie saw him watching her, she steeled up her resolve and forced her legs and hips into compliance. Eric could see her determination as she, once again, attempted to strut across the length of the study. He could see her getting better, slowly, but surely.

"How about you sway those hips this way?" Eric leered at her, beckoning Sookie with a flick of his fingertips. Putting on her best, sexy leer, Sookie sauntered over as fluidly as she could and placed her hands on Eric's chest, "You should be careful, Little One, or you will be hostessing this interview looking more than a little ruffled." Eric growled into her ear as her nails raked over his nipple.

"Well, it would probably be good for the help to realize that explicit situations will arise frequently in this household." Sookie purred at him, "Perhaps we should make a show for them so they realize what they're gettin' into?"

Pam chortled behind them, "Ooh, Master, you really do know how to pick them." Leaning against Eric's desk, Pam tilted her head to the side, "Imagine what an insatiable minx she could be if she came over?"

Sookie grinned mischievously, "I don't know that he could keep up if I did." She gave Eric a wink, "But do you think you'd all stay daywalkers if I were turned?"

Eric pondered this, "An eternity of darkness would be more than bearable if you were at my side. After all, I have already survived a millennia of it." He tucked her chin between his thumb and index finger, pulling her lips up for a kiss. Sookie could feel the truth and love rolling through the Bond at her, and it made her knees weak. So many years of darkness and exclusion had plagued her, and yet, Eric managed to wipe away most of her nightmares in a mere couple of months.

"You are going to make her melt, Master." Pam was still smirking at the display in front of her. Glancing at her watch, she frowned, "Your first interviewer will be arriving shortly. How would you like me to proceed?"

"Answer the door and bring them to the study. Introduce yourself as my sister, since there are high probabilities of you being around. I do not need gossip amongst my staff as to your role in this household." Eric looked annoyed at the thought. Sookie knew that with all the intrigue and reconnaissance that came along with being a vampire Sheriff, the last thing Eric wanted was murmuring and gossip around his own home. "When the interview is over, glamour them on the way out so that they cannot recall ever actually meeting me."

"Yes, Master." Pam nodded and turned out of the study.

"Sookie, take a seat here." Eric maneuvered a plush, white, wingback chair to angle off of the corner, in front of his desk. The new vantage point would give Sookie and Eric a united front during the interview, while showing Eric as the dominant- though, distant- employer. "I would like for you to conduct the actual interview, Lover."

"But... I thought I was just suppose to sit here and look nice." Sookie looked terrified.

"This maid will be primarily working under you as the lady of the household." Eric explained to her, "I wish for her to see you as a governing force here, so that the appropriate respect will be demonstrated. Unfortunately, in this area, I fear that I may not receive the expected level of service and professionalism. Therefore, I want it seen upon first sight, what is expected from the position and in which manner they are to operate. If they are unable to recognize those expectations during this meeting- then they are certainly not up to performing to my standards." Eric told her.

Sookie felt a bit weak, but nodded. "Okay."

"I will guide you along telepathically so that you do not error." Eric nodded at her comfortingly. "Ah, she is here."

Sookie tensed when he said this, and all too soon, she heard the doorbell ring and the soft thunking of Pam's heels between the carpets on the hardwood.

"Good afternoon, my name is Mrs. Darlene Greer." The older woman held out her hand to greet Pam.

"Good afternoon, I am Pam. Mr. Northman's sister." Pam nodded at the woman, ignoring her hand. "My brother is in his study. I will show you to him."

Darlene followed tentatively behind Pam, and the vampire could not help but scowl to herself. She already had a strong dislike for this woman, and she hoped Sookie had reason not to like her either. From the pitch of her annoying voice, to the obscenely big hair she sported, Pam was unimpressed.

"Mrs. Darlene Greer is here for her interview." Pam said dryly as she opened the study door and presented the woman to be interviewed. The female vampire smirked at the face Sookie was making. Though the little telepath was getting better at keeping her face straight when she heard others' thoughts, she still slipped up from time to time.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Greer." Sookie nodded, standing up to shake the woman's hand and gesture for her to sit. "Please, have a seat. My name is Sookie Stackhouse, and this is Eric Northman." Sookie sat back down and crossed her legs at her ankles.

"That will be all, Pamela." Eric said quietly.

_"If that's how he talks to his sister, I can't imagine how he'll treat me."_ Darlene thought apprehensively.

"Now, Mrs. Greer-"

"Please, call me Darlene." She tried to give Sookie her warmest smile, and Eric was repressing a growl. Instead of interrupting her interviewer, Darlene should have waited until Sookie's statement was made and then opened her response with how she preferred to be addressed.

"Darlene," Sookie nodded curtly, "how long have you worked as a housekeeper?"

"Well-" And Darlene began to talk on, and on, and _on_.

_"Eric_,_ how do I shut her up?"_ Sookie asked him, mentally, after nearly fifteen minutes of the woman's endless talking. "_Besides her voice, her brain is a chatterbox too!"_

Eric smirked, "That will be all, Mrs. Greer. Ms. Stackhouse and I have heard all we need to from you. You may leave now." Darlene looked put out, but gathered herself up quickly to leave. Pam opened the study door and escorted the woman back out while glamouring her on the way to the front door.

"Ugh!" Sookie groaned, "That was really annoyin'."

"I am surprised to have received such an applicant." Eric frowned, "Normally the agencies I go through have a better understanding of what I am looking for in an employee. Well, I suppose there are always poor applicants to weed through." Leaning back in his chair, Eric opened his arms, "However, since that interview ended quite early- we have time for _this_."

Sookie immediately dove into her lover's offered embrace, and her lips smashed heatedly against his. Eric pulled her into his lap, one hand grasping her hip while the other clasped her nape. Arching his hips, Eric pushed his growing erection against her bottom, earning a mewl.

"Do we have enough time?" Sookie panted against his lips, feeling her heart aching for his touches.

"I will make time, if need be." Eric growled, standing up to deposit Sookie upon his desk, "Lie back, Lover. I want to watch you writhe on my desk."

Pam was tapping her foot impatiently as she held the most recent candidate at bay from beginning her interview. Sookie had asked her, telepathically, to delay the next interviewer while she and Eric composed themselves.

_"We're ready now."_ Sookie's voice chimed in Pam's head, and the vampiress could not help but smirk at the timidness that resounded in her head.

"Mr. Northman is ready to begin your interview now." Pam turned on her toe sharply, making the woman jump. As she opened the office door, the powerful smell of sex made Pam's nostrils flare and fangs pop into place, "Mrs. Penelope Hallaway." She said toothily before managing to retract her fangs and leave the room.

Rising, Sookie held out her hand, "Mrs. Hallaway, I am Ms. Stackhouse, and this is Mr. Northman."

"Good afternoon, Ms. Stackhouse. You can just call me Penelope." Sookie gestured for the potential employee to sit, and she did the same.

This interview went far better than the one with Darlene, but by the end of it, the telepath decided that she wanted to see many more potential employees before making a decision. Her gut was telling her that Penelope was just right for the job, though.

The third interview that day, for Eric's new dayman, had left Sookie in a fowl mood. That individual had been the only human male she had encountered for an extended period of time, other than her brother, since she had gone to the police station. Of course, at the station, the officers had been too shocked by the fact that she was alive to spend their time giving her a physical appraisal. Her brother had, thankfully, not gazed at her hungrily as this man did now.

_"If this Northman guy is looking for a day man, he must work a lot of nights... Since the girl's the one conducting the interviews, I must be working directly with her...Mmm, she looks young. I wonder if she's fucking the boss? If she is, then all I need is to get myself a bit more power than her. Then I'm sure she'll let me have a few rounds with that ass-"_

"Get out." Sookie ground out when she could no longer take any more of his scheming. "You are all wrong for _every position_."

"What? You haven't even-" The interviewer frowned at the abrupt change in the meeting's atmosphere.

"I said- Get. Out." Sookie stood up sharply, going to the office door and opening it, "This interview is over." The young man rose, glancing curiously at Northman, and then at the irritated girl, before shuffling out of the office.

"What was that about then, Dear One?" Eric asked, as Sookie slammed the door and returned to the desk. The vampire held his arms open for her when Sookie bi-passed her chair and came to him. Gracelessly, she flopped into his lap.

"From the second the interview started, all he was thinkin' about was ways to get me to sleep with him." She ground out, letting the feel of Eric's arms temper her irritation.

"Though I understand your reaction, I must tell you that the way you conducted yourself was highly unprofessional." He told her firmly, "You cannot respond like that with people, Sookie. Even if they are thinking unsavory things."

She frowned, pushing her face more firmly against Eric's chest, "I'm sorry, I couldn't help it... I... I haven't really had to hear thoughts like that about myself since I ran away, and... I don't know... Knowin' you were with me gave me the strength to just do what I'd always wanted to."

Eric paused for a moment. He had never truly considered how Sookie would react in a situation like that. It was only fair that after years of oppression and having to see and hear the thoughts of her Uncle, that she would snap easily in those types of situations. "I understand, My Lover. But you have a new strength now. You have me. You need not conduct yourself in such a manner. If you are ever in a situation like this again, you need only inform me subtly, and I will handle it if you are uncertain that you can remain poised."

Sookie nodded against his chest, still pouting. She had disappointed Eric. Her greatest sadness.

"I'm sorry." She whispered quietly.

"There is nothing to be sorry about, Lover." He assured.

She shook her head jerkily, "No, I was actin' like a child. You've taught me better than to be so impulsive." Her voice was still hushed, ashamed.

Eric smiled at her, "Yes, but part of learning is making mistakes, and I genuinely feel that you _needed_ this mistake. You needed to feel the power of standing up to one of your childhood monsters. Even if it was only a surrogate. I will always regret, slightly, not allowing you the opportunity to confront your demon, but I will always revel in the joy I found killing him myself."

"I wouldn't have been able to kill him." She admitted, sighing appreciatively as Eric began petting her head and twirling her long hair in his fingertips. "As much as I hated him, and as much as I wanted him dead, I couldn't have done it."

Eric kissed her crown and breathed in the smell of her hair, "You would be surprised at what you are capable of, Lover."

"Capable and willin' are two different things. I am capable of killin'. I've killed for you- I would kill for you again. But it was a kill or be killed moment. Bartlett... I would have wanted him to rot away in a cell or center, shunned for bein' the monster he was. Unloved, forced to live in the shadows of society and thought the worst of like I was." Eric blinked several times at the darkness that swam through Sookie. It was not common for her to dip into this level of blight, but he had to admit that seeing her like this, feeling her like this, was the deepest reassurance that she could survive in his world. This ounce of darkness was what gave her the edge she needed to be taken seriously as his mate. Yet, that darkness was only a drop in the bucket of light, the speck of yin to her yang. Her anger was tempered by her morals, and in Eric's opinion- her morals were just where they needed to be.

"I love you, Sookie." Eric told her.

Sookie beamed up at her vampire, the most beautiful grin he had ever seen upon any face. What he felt coming from her through the Bond made every lonely day of the past millennia worth the experience of that moment.

**TBC**

**A/N: Yes, a short chapter. It is a bit of a transition, and if I remember correctly- I am quite sure that chapter thirteen was the subject of very caffeinated fingers, and is therefore quite long. But, you will see it on Tuesday! Meanwhile: **

**PLEASE REMEMBER TO REVIEW!**

**-ANDI**


	13. Chapter 13

****Keep Me

_A/N: Welcome, Readers, to chapter thirteen of __Keep Me__! Well, the average for reviews suffered from the short gap between chapters, but I really wanted to get to chapter 13. Since chapter 12 was uncharacteristically short, I felt that it deserved to get the short end of the submission stick! Fair warning, this is a pretty long chapter, so if you have to work soon, you might want to save this for after your shift. Speaking of work, I have to start soon too, but I did not want to make all of you wait until 8 or 9 PM CST! So, forgive any spelling/grammatical issues since I am inconveniently rushed today... Oh! Since the "spanking" scene had its hits and misses, I did want to give a fair warning in this chapter that there is an adult scene that deals with elements and perceptions of rape. Please, do not let this frighten you away, but it will be flagged with a __*******__ right before and after it. I promise that it is not as dark as you would expect given the unpleasant word I am having to use. However, in deference to my readers who might be sensitive to questionable/ or nuances of implied consent, I just wanted to give them the option of skipping past that part._

_-Andi_

**Chapter Thirteen:**

A couple of days later, Sookie laid sprawled across Eric's back as he lay on his stomach across the floor. Reading from a book aloud as she tangled a strand of his hair between her fingers. His eyes remained closed, enjoying the steady rhythm of her voice and the gentle tug of his scalp. It was their first day without Pam in the house, the vampiress having finally moved into her own residence, and Eric was elated at finally being able to completely dissolve his hard exterior.

If only those who feared him could see him now, basking in the sunlight that flowed through the window, a beautiful woman strewn across his back as if he were her personal bear skin rug while cat like purrs rolled through his throat. Their image of the fearless Viking might have taken a hit if they were to witness this.

"Eric?" Sookie stopped reading suddenly.

"Hmm?" He grunted lazily.

She giggled at his distracted noise, "What are you thinkin' about?"

"You." He replied, rolling onto his back so suddenly, that Sookie flopped onto his stomach when he stopped moving. "And how proud I am of you." He captured her chin and drew her lips to his own.

Sookie smiled her shy smile that she always wore when Eric complimented her, "You were worried for a moment. Is everythin' okay?" She pressed.

Eric sighed and shook his head, "I was just thinking what my subordinates would think if they were to see me right now."

"I know what they would think." Sookie smirked.

"Oh?" Eric wrapped his arms around her, "What would they think?"

Sookie crossed her arms over her chest and rolled off of him to collapse onto her back and remained silent.

"Sookie?" Eric raised an eyebrow.

"They wouldn't think anythin'! They're dead for the day!" She giggled and Eric shook his head amusedly, "But if, somehow, they could see you right now? I think they'd just be awful envious that you get to never lose a moment of the world like them."

"I think that you are right." Eric agreed, turning onto his side to gaze at her more closely. One of his hands reached out to push a stray tendril of hair from her face as he watched her, "I want to leave the house."

"Right now?" Sookie balked. Eric never left the house during the day.

"Yes," Eric nodded, stroking her cheek still from when he had pushed her hair back, "there is something I wish to see with you." He slid his hand down her throat, across her shoulder and along her arm until he had her hand in his. With a swift movement, they were both standing and Eric was leading her out the door.

"Where are we goin'?" Sookie asked as Eric opened the passenger door of his Corvette and eased Sookie into her seat.

"It is a surprise." He smiled at her.

They drove in silence for quite awhile before Sookie sighed in exasperation, "So "surprise" means silence now?" She whined, becoming bored.

Eric smirked, "We may talk. What did you wish to speak about?"

Sookie pouted, crossing her arms over her chest, "Nothin' in particular."

Taking one of her crossed arms, Eric tugged it away from her body until he could bring her hand to his lips and plant a kiss on it, "I promise that you will enjoy this."

Letting out another frustrated, huff, Sookie calmed down and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. After a while, Sookie saw the city of Shreveport tapering away and she became more confused. Just where was Eric taking her?

"Did you see that sign, Lover?" Eric asked after a little while.

"What? Which one?" Sookie craned in her seat, so lost in thought that she had not noticed anything they had passed in the last few minutes.

"Do not worry. We are here." Eric pointed just ahead of them.

"The Gardens of the American Rose Center." Sookie read aloud, brow furrowing, "You brought me to look at flowers?" She asked as Eric pulled into a parking spot and came around to open her door.

"Yes. It closes well before sunset, and though I have flown over it many times, I knew that it was nothing like it would be during the day." Eric took her hand as they strolled up to the visitors' center.

"Good afternoon, Sir." A staff member greeted them.

"Good afternoon. I believe my employer left you notice of what will be required today?" Eric asked, already in the midst of glamouring her as he spoke, "And when you think of me, you will remember a shorter, dark haired man."

"Yes, Sir. Mr. Northman had very specific instructions. The gardens are all yours today." She nodded curtly before accepting her dismissal.

"Your employer, Mr. Northman?" Sookie raised her eyebrows.

"With the Great Reveal closing in, I cannot risk others remembering me being out in the day, can I?" Eric asked.

"Yes, you make a point." Sookie nodded, allowing Eric to lead her back outside and along the clearing. Sookie could see hundreds of rose bushes and thickets. She had never known there were so many different kinds! And in so many colors! "Wow! Look at this one!" She pointed to a rather exotic looking rose. "That's a rose?" She ran in another direction to one that reminded her more of a daisy than a rose, "This too!?"

Eric smiled indulgently as he watched Sookie weave back and forth along the great expanse of the grounds, pointing and grinning. At one point, the girl came dashing back to Eric, taking his arm between her hands and tugging him to look at the flowers with her.

"You said you wanted to see it, and now you're just draggin' your feet!" She nagged, "C'mon!"

"Come on." Eric corrected gently.

"Come on!" She replied in exasperation. This was no time for elocution lessons!

"Sookie, Lover, we have all day. There is no need to rush." He laughed, "Always so eager. What do I tell you so often when we make love? You will get there, there is no reason to rush." He murmured, using his free hand to cup her chin and gently pull it toward him for a kiss. "I will always be sure that you get what you want." He whispered against her lips.

Capturing her bottom lip between her teeth as Eric pulled away, Sookie released one of her hands from his and they walked side by side through the gardens, fingers locked within each others'.

"Mmm, these smell really nice." Sookie said, drawing closer to a series of arches with roses cascading down from above them. They were a creamy pink color, and Sookie tilted her head back to try and capture the scent. Eric lifted her at the waist so that her face was right next to the flowers, "Yes, very nice smelling," she murmured as she slowly drifted back to the ground.

When she was in the shelter of Eric's arms, Sookie snuggled her nose deeper into his chest, "You smell nicer, though." She mumbled, enjoying the vibrations of Eric's laugh against her cheek. She looked up to see the light that peaked through the rose vines shining in Eric's golden hair. The sunlight on him seemed so natural to her, as if he was always meant to stand in it with her, "So beautiful." She whispered, reaching up to stroke his cheek, her heart beating frantically against her ribs.

Eric shut his eyes. The Bond he shared with her had allowed Eric to feel her love for him grow, but he had never felt the complete saturation of it like he did now. Whatever was going on in Sookie's head, she was entirely focused on how much she loved him.

"Sookie," Eric began softly, "though we have spoken about it briefly, and you knew that this was coming, I did not want it to be so simple. When your friends ask you how this happened, I wanted you to have a beautiful story to tell." His Bonded gazed at Eric curiously, then took a surprised step back when he fell to a knee, "My love and Bonded, will you do me the honor of someday becoming my wife?" He had a velvet box in his hand, but before his fingers could open it, Sookie's arms were wrapped around his neck and she was sobbing into his neck.

"Yes! Of course I'll marry you! You coulda jus' slipped that on my finger any ol' time!" She sniffled into his neck, squeezing him so tightly that he though, perhaps, she was trying to meld their body into one... That did not seem like such an unwanted possibility, though.

"Are you going to allow me to show you your ring?" He chuckled against her hair as she continued to hug him.

"Oh!" She leaned back, resting her bottom on her heels, wiping away stray tears as she held out her left hand shyly. Eric gave the briefest, amused shake of his head before opening the tiny box and taking out her ring. He slid the platinum band upon her finger and kissed it before allowing Sookie the opportunity to truly admire it. "Wow, it's really heavy..." She had not been expecting that as she brought her hand up to see her engagement ring clearly.

The platinum band had three stones on it, a large, round diamond in the center and two pear shaped diamonds on either side. Sookie was not well acquainted with diamonds, but in comparison to the solitaire necklace Eric had bought her months back, she knew that the quality of these were much higher. The way the sunlight reflected through them... The shattered white and gray brilliance that danced all around them... The sturdy weight that her hand was quickly accommodating... Yes, Eric had definitely spared no expense on this ring.

"It's so beautiful, Eric." She murmured, captivated by the piece of jewelry. Her body leaned forward to press once more against his, and her lips sought out his mouth for a deep, loving kiss.

"I want to make love to you in the sunlight, Sookie." Eric murmured against her lips, holding her body to his as he rose from his knees off of the ground. Sookie's legs wrapped around Eric's waist as he carried her to the middle of the gardens and into the sun drenched, green lawns.

"No one will bother us?" Sookie asked as Eric unzipped the back of her dress before laying her down on the grass.

"We will not be interrupted." He agreed

"What about the photographer you hired?" Sookie grunted as her dress was yanked off the remainder of the way.

Eric smirked, "I had wondered if you noticed... He may snap a few pictures of you in all of your glory for me to enjoy later, but he will be departing shortly to begin developing them so that they will be ready when we are prepared to leave."

"How'd you get his mind all cloudy? He's been barely noticeable this entire time." She gasped as Eric tugged one of her nipples through her bra.

"He is under a heavy glamour, compliments of Pam. I will release him from it when he gives us the photos. Now," He gripped her breasts firmly, making her gasp, "no more talking unless it is to beg, or call my name as you come." Sookie moaned at his words, rocking her hips against his.

The rest of Sookie's clothes were soon lying on her sundress off to the side of them, Eric's shirt, socks and shoes joining them as he kissed and licked her body to his contentment.

"Oh! Eric, take off your pants. Wanna feel your cock rubbin' all over me." She licked her lips before biting down on the bottom one. Eric growled before undoing his belt and fly. Sookie used her feet to push his pants from his hips, her hand reaching between their bodies to stroke him. The vampire's hips rocked in time with her strokes, his mouth busying itself with nibbling and sucking the juncture between her neck and shoulder as they moved together.

After taking his time to enjoy Sookie's touch, Eric took hold of her wrists, bringing both of her hands to rest on either side of her head. Sookie moaned as he held her down gently, and she arched her back to press against him. Smiling at her action, Eric continued to rock his hips, rubbing his thick length against her mound and belly until his Bonded began to squirm impatiently. He could tell that she was enjoying this: the helplessness, the unresolved want. And she knew that he enjoyed making her feel that way.

Without warning, Eric's rubbing ceased, and he pulled back far enough to begin slipping into her liquid warmth. The woman moaned as she felt every ridge and plane of his shaft sink into her, her hips rolling gently to feel him strum against the front of her inner wall and shoot electricity all throughout her body. Her movements were just as pleasant to Eric, as the jolts her body experienced caused her to reflexively squeeze his cock.

Feeling her thighs begin to tremble, Eric slowed his pace further to keep her on the edge, "Do not come yet, Lover. Wait for me." He kissed the shell of her ear, rocking gently until her shivers subsided.

"I-I can't!" She gasped.

"Yes you can." He encouraged, increasing his rhythm, "There is no need to rush, remember?" He nibbled her earlobe.

Sookie took a few calming breaths, focusing on just enjoying the sensations he gave her, rather than running towards her climax. Every time she could feel the precipice, her body would stiffen and ragged breaths would keep her from tumbling over the edge. Twice this happened before the climax was suddenly upon her again, "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck fuck!" She chanted trying desperately to hold on. Thankfully, Eric chose that moment to snarl and bury his fangs into her throat as he began to climax as well, "THANK GOD!" She screamed as he filled her with his essence, drinking her blood in and growling low in his throat as her body became frantic beneath his own. Intense spasms caused Sookie's body to crash into his his, her joints stiff and contorted as profane declarations of love and enjoyment tumbled from her lips.

What lasted only a few moments, but felt like an eternity, finally left Sookie boneless on the lawn. Eric remained laying on his side, adoring the dazed expression on his fiancée's face as tiny tremors wracked her body occasionally. Sunlight bathed their bodies, and Eric could not remember seeing anything so beautiful in his entire existence.

Sookie's left hand rose to touch Eric's face, sending a spotlight dancing across her naked body from her ring. "How did I ever come to deserve you?" She asked quietly.

Eric smiled down at her, kissing Sookie softly, "I was just wondering the same thing about myself." He admitted.

"I-" A distinct ***POP*** made Sookie flinch, and a split second later, Eric was being thrown away from her by a burst of light. "ERIC!" Sookie made to scramble for him, but whoever had sent Eric flying had grabbed Sookie by the wrist.

That moment of contact allowed a flood of thoughts to pour into the telepath's head, and Sookie found that it was not just from the touch, but that she was dragging them out of her attacker's head. This in itself would have been painful for the young woman, but the action was of little consequence in comparison to the pain of seeing what she saw.

"OH GOD!" Sookie screamed in terror, pain and absolute disgust as she broke the hold he had momentarily had on her wrist, thrust her hands forward and tried to use her under exercised telekinesis to push him away.

What happened instead was enough for Sookie to remain kneeling in shock as her attacker exploded, much like the glass of Godric's china cabinet. She was dripping with the man's blood... The fairy's blood... Her _grandfather's blood._

A deep growl echoed behind Sookie. As she trembled and turned to see what damage her Bonded had sustained, she was relieved to see him getting up from the ground. "Eric-"

Before she could ask him if he was injured, her fiancé grabbed the back of her neck and pushed her face into the ground as his other hand raised her hips to shove his swollen cock deep into her pussy. "AH!" She cried, trying to squirm into a more comfortable position, but his hold was too tight. His tongue was licking away the blood of the fairy she had killed, his fangs biting her everywhere they could manage while he fucked her impatiently.

Gripping her hands into the lush grass beneath her fingers, Sookie realized that Eric's complete abandonment from reality was due to the blood that covered her. She remembered what he had told her about fairy blood, and the effects that it had on vampires. Luckily, their earlier love making had left her at least moderately prepared for another round, and she was actually beginning to enjoy the impromptu session.

The frenzy did not continue for long, and Sookie could feel Eric beginning to orgasm. She hoped that afterwards, the remaining fairy blood would not send him into another lust fueled debauchery. It was dire that she told him what she had seen in Fintan's head!

With a low roar, Eric's body curled over her back and his hips spasmed several times as he finished. Sookie was finally able to relax her death grip that had torn out several clumps of grass. "Eric?" She asked carefully as he shook against her back.

"..." She felt Eric pull away from her as if he had been burned, then came the tidal wave from his end of the Bond as the lust was finally subdued. Sookie had never experienced her Bonded genuinely regret anything, but suddenly self-loathing was seeping into the Bond. Disgust, hate, disappointment, contempt. All of it directed at himself.

"Eric!" Sookie pushed as much love and understanding to him as she could manage, but it was practically hitting a wall. He refused to accept her forgiveness, "It was the blood, not you!" She scrambled up from the ground, reaching for him as he hastily began to dress. "Eric, c'mon, this wasn't yer fault!" She grabbed his arm desperately, "Just, talk t'me, Darlin'!" She begged, "Ya gotta hear what happened-"

"I raped you. That is what happened." Eric snarled, making Sookie freeze in her pleading, "You survived years of hell and managed to prevent yourself from being violated, and I... I-"

"Eric, Darlin', ya didn't do any such of a thing!" She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, burrowing her face into his chest, "Please, Darlin', calm down. Give yerself a moment. It's gonna be okay." She soothed gently. "Let me get my clothes back on... We'll get away from this spot and talk, okay?" She murmured in the gentlest voice she could muster. Her need to explain what was going on with the Fae would have to wait. Eric needed this. For once, he needed her to reassure him. To make all of the bad thoughts go away.

Sookie dressed at a sedated pace. Her instincts were telling her that slow movements would be best, and she made certain to keep her emotions level. The slightest hint of discomfort, fear, or anxiety would merely confirm what Eric suspected no matter what thought they stemmed from. When she was clothed once more, Sookie took his hand, leading him to a small building that looked like a deep woods cottage. They sat on the ground, leaning against the building as Sookie stroked the back of Eric's hand.

"Darlin', no matter what, you could never rape me." She said carefully, "I may not have expected you to do that at first, but I understood what was happenin' to you. Once I realized that it was the fairy blood makin' you act like that, I knew that you would calm down soon, and everythin' would come back to normal. I understand that you're proud, and that the weakness of bein' so out of control hurts you, but we all have our moments of weakness... But you trusted me to keep you safe before, and I'll continue to keep you safe even when it's from your own thoughts." She brought his hand to her mouth, planting gentle kisses on the back of it. "I know it will be a while before you can forgive yourself, but just remember, you never need to apologize to me for what happened."

"You allow me to get away with too much." Eric spoke quietly, his tone lacking a certain reassurance it always had.

Sookie shrugged, "What do you want me to do? I can't actually hate you."

"You should."

"But I don't." Sookie sighed, "Would it make you feel better if I punished you or somethin'? No, you're punishin' yourself enough for the both of us." Eric continued to look out across the grounds, not daring to look at her. Sookie sighed, "Are you actually goin' to punish yourself for havin' rough sex with me? 'Cause, honestly, I've hurt worse after our hours upon hours of one-hundred percent consensual sex. I'm not even bleedin', Eric."

"You were scared." He ground out.

"Not of you." Sookie was getting annoyed, "I was scared from what I saw in Fintan's head! I wanted to tell you what I saw as soon as possible, but I've had to spend the last hour reassurin' ya that I'm not mad at ya, and it's startin' t'get old!"

"Fintan?" Eric looked at her in surprise. He had never had an opportunity to see who the attacker was. One second he was enjoying post-coital pillow talk with his fiancée, and the next second he was being thrown across the lawn.

"Yeah, the fairy that knocked up my Gran... Twice. He touched me, and I just got... Well... A lot. He was so desperate to take me, Eric." She murmured.

"Sookie," Eric's voice became stern and powerful, causing a wave of relief to course through Sookie that did not escape the vampire's attention, "what did you see?"

"_A lot."_ She whispered back, "And I think we should go home where I can concentrate, and call Pam over. I'll open a link to Godric and the four of us need to start gettin' some plans together. Eric... This is much bigger than we thought."

Eric did not waste another moment. Taking Sookie by the hand, he pulled her up to stand once more and barely remembered to get all of the photographs and negatives from the man he had hired before glamouring any trace memories from his mind.

As Eric drove, Sookie looked through the photos absentmindedly. She smiled at them, but paused when she found one where Eric had lifted her up to smell the cascading roses. Suddenly, sorrow enveloped the telepath. It had been such a wonderful day. Her first real day with Eric that was not confined in a residence or shared with Pam or Godric... And her late grandfather had ruined it in so many ways. Not only by interrupting them, but by sending Eric into a lustful frenzy and causing him the shame of believing that he had violated his Bonded.

"Sookie?" He could feel her sadness, and it caused him anxiety. He feared that the full extent of his actions were finally affecting her. He feared that she would begin hating him at any moment.

"I'm so mad." She sniffled, brushing away a stray tear, "He ruined everythin'. After all the trouble you went through to make today perfect-"

"Shh, Lover, it was still perfect. We will just remember it ending after we made love, yes?" He took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze before kissing the back of it, "The only evidence of today, is that we became engaged."

"And the big circle of blood and body parts formerly known as Fintan Brigant." Sookie grumbled.

"How exactly did you do that?" Eric asked.

"I was tryin' to use my telekinesis to push him away. I didn't have enough concentration though, and I pushed him in too many different directions at once with too much force. He just... Tore apart..." Sookie shivered at what she had done. "I did that in the dinin' room back at Godric's house... I don't know why only the glass stuff blew up and not a buncha stuff, though. I'm just glad I didn't hurt you or Godric when I did that." The thought that she could have dismembered Godric or Eric sent another shiver down Sookie's spine.

Eric nodded at her explanation. Despite the frightening notion that his Bonded could rip someone apart in an instant, it was more comforting than disquieting. He knew that she would never use that power on him or his bloodline, and that was all of the reassurance he needed. Knowing that she would never harm them is what made him feel elated that a fairy could not take her from them. She would take them apart before they could.

"It takes much less energy to break single pane glass or crystal than it does to rip apart flesh. You were surprised that day when you found out about your brother. You also broke the lamp, another delicate material to be around you when you were stressed. You were putting out energy with the thought of wanting to push something away. A memory, an emotion. That energy was strong enough to push the molecules of the glass and crystal away from each other and cause them to explode." Eric explained to her. "However, you feared more than just an emotion when Fintan was coming at you. You did not wish to push something within _you_ away, you wished to push _him_ away. Yes, the connection to your telekinesis is beginning to make more sense. Even though you understood how to use your power, you have to admit, the random explosions were rather difficult to determine the connections."

Sookie smiled as Eric began contemplating her newest gift. She was glad that he was calming down after the incident. In her months with him, Sookie had never seen nor felt Eric be unsure of himself. It was as if her center were crumbling to feel her source of strength so distrusting of himself. But now, he was back in command of himself, self-assured and ready to take action!

"_Sookie_," Eric pulled the telepath out of her contemplation, "_contact Pam and have her meet us at our home."_

Sookie was already on his orders before he could finish the thought, _"Pam."_

"_I bloody hate it when you do that..."_ Pam's inner voice resounded in Sookie's skull. Just as Sookie had found that Godric and Eric had a habit of accidentally thinking in their native tongues, Pam's accent returned to an English one when they spoke telepathically. It was a source of amusement and confusion for Sookie, especially when Eric thought in Old Norse by accident; usually it was Swedish. Of course, none of them noticed when they did this unless Sookie pointed it out to them. _"What do you want, Sookie?"_

"_There's been an incident. Come to Eric's place ASAP." _Sookie answered.

"_I will be there shortly."_

Sookie looked at Eric, _"Pam is on her way."_

"Good." Eric nodded approvingly.

"_Sookie-"_

"JESUS CHRIST!" Sookie jolted, _"God damn it, Godric!"_ She gave an apologetic blanch to Eric, "Godric." He nodded, relaxing once more, _"I wish there was an advanced warnin' system before y'all just started talkin' in here."_

"_My apologies, Little Sookie. Might I inquire what is going on with my Child? He had me very worried for a moment."_ Godric explained.

Sookie let out a sigh, _"Run in with a Fairy. We're actually gonna have a meetin' over it once we get secure."_

"_A fairy got on Eric's property?"_

"_No... Eric took me out to a big rose garden place to propose. We got jumped there."_ Sookie explained.

"_Sookie-"_

"_Look, just wait 'til we're back to the house, and we'll do this there. I'm gonna have to link four minds, and as easy as that sounds to you, it's kinda drainin'."_

"_Of course. I will await your contact."_

Letting out a long sigh, Sookie looked to Eric, "Any reason we're doin' all this in our-"

"Quiet." Eric snapped, _"From this point on, I will take nothing for granted. Fintan tried to grab you when he did because you were away from my residence during the day. That means he is keeping tabs on your locations. I do not know if this is just through his blood connection with you, or if he had my residence bugged while we were out at night. Either way, I cannot trust that anywhere is safe to speak. Luckily, since shortly after the point that I spoke to Niall, we have not spoken about your gifts aloud. It will stay that way."_

Sookie nodded in understanding. The thought of someone listening in on them was upsetting in itself, but the thought of them listening to her intimate moments was down right annoying! Though neither her nor Eric cared about being seen while they were having sex, what happened in Eric's home was so much more than about pleasure to her. There was a sense of security and safety that was tied into their love making under his roof. Sookie could not count on her hands the amount of times Eric had comforted her with his body and emotional presence when they made love, taking away the bad memories, attaching something good to them- making them bearable at last.

"Sookie?" Eric could feel her saddening beside him.

"_I feel so frustrated right now." _She let out a sniffle, _"I feel like our privacy's been completely intruded upon."_

Eric took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, _"Do not worry, My Sookie. We will be fine. I will fix everything."_ He promised her. _"Do you know if he was aware of my presence?"_

Sookie thought hard for a moment, _"No, I don't recall him realizin' you were there. Don't know how he figured I'd be layin' naked in a field without you, but he just seemed to blast whoever it was I was with. I don't think he knew it was you. He would've just killed you if he knew it was you. He wanted you dead."_

"_It is unlikely that our home has been compromised then."_ She could feel his relief, or maybe it was her own, _"Otherwise, he would have been aware of our bloodline's ability to walk about in the daytime. That knowledge seems to remain secret."_

Sookie let out a relieved sigh now, _"Why are we still talkin' in our heads then?"_

"_Any time we discuss our ability to walk about in the day, or any of your gifts, we will speak telepathically. I will not take chances, especially since the Fae have made a move on you. I had hoped that my talk with Niall would deter any attempts on you, but it seems that it has not."_ Eric pulled into the driveway of his residence, letting Sookie out while he parked in the garage. Pam's minivan was on the other side of the driveway and she was opening the front door for them when they walked up the two steps to the doorway. As Sookie, still covered in Fintan's dry blood, approached, the telepath witnessed Pam's pupils dilate, as well as heard the distinctive "snick" of her fangs appearing. That was the only response the vampiress made in regards to Sookie being covered in blood, and it made the young woman wonder why only Eric had lost control.

"_Are we on telepathic lockdown?"_ Pam asked Sookie and the girl nodded. The vampiress made a grunting noise, liking full conversations in her head as much as Sookie. _"Let's get this nightmare over with."_

"Let's go to the livin' room so I can get comfortable before we start." Sookie sighed, making a pitstop in the kitchen for a glass of water, "Everyone ready?" She asked as she made herself comfortable on the couch. _"Godric, are you ready?"_

"Yes."

"Yes."

"_Yes._" Sookie blanked her mind, creating mental pathways to flow incoming thoughts and other pathways for outgoing thoughts. It was strangely easy for her, at first, but she knew it was only a matter of time before the fatigue set in.

"_Eric and I were attacked by Fintan Brigant this afternoon. Fintan pushed Eric away with some kind of light attack and then went to take me." _Sookie began,_ "When he touched me, though, I got a whole bunch of his thoughts. Queen Sophie-Anne is in danger. After the last Fairy/ Vampire war, Sophie-Anne wants nothin' to do with the Fae, but she controls the State with one of the last Fairy Realm portals, as well as the control of many well respected vampire warriors. Niall offered André a bribe. He would make André King of Louisiana if he gave assistance to the Brigant clan in Elfyria. As a form of bindin' the contract- once Queen Sophie-Anne was assassinated, Niall would allow André to take me as his Queen and form an alliance between the Fae and Vampires." _Sookie finished her explanation and the other vampires sat silent for a moment.

"_The civil war in Elfyria must be getting pretty fucking desperate if the Prince is trying to recruit vampire assistance."_ Pam finally spoke.

"_Sookie, was this all of the information, or all of the information you could get before you accidentally blew him up?" _Eric asked.

"_What?"_ Godric was surprised.

"_Think of your china cabinet, but with Fintan pieces instead of shards of glass."_ Eric supplied.

"_Excellent_._" _Pam was grinning with dark amusement.

"_That's all I got before blowin' him up. I'm sorry. I would've held on longer, but... The way he wanted to give me to André, ... I just." _Images of what Sookie had seen in the mind of the monster Bartlett had wanted to sell her to flashed through all of their minds. Mortified at what she had accidentally shown them, Sookie broke the connection and ran to Eric's day chamber. She only lay upon the bed a moment before a soft clicking of the door releasing once more, and then a heavy weight dipped the bed as Eric slid up behind her, "I didn't mean t' show ya that." She choked out.

"I know." He kissed her shoulder, "But you did, and now you are hiding away in our bedroom when you should be wrapped up in my arms where I can comfort you." Sookie let out a sob and turned onto her other side to face him, her tentative arms reached to wrap about his neck, her pouty lip quivering as many tears flooded her eyes.

"It's so stupid." She hiccuped into his chest, "He can't touch me, neither of 'em can, and I'm still so scared..." Sookie took in a shuddering breath, "When will it stop scarin' me? When will that time not be the first thing I think of?"

Petting her hair carefully, Eric thought a moment, "I do not know, but every time you become scared because of it, remind yourself that no one will ever take you from me. Not just because I would kill them for trying, but because _you_ are more than capable of defending yourself. You liquified a fairy. That alone is reassurance that you are not an easy target."

"André can't take me, though?" Sookie asked meekly.

"Never." He assured, still stroking her golden hair. "You are my Bonded, your blood relatives cannot even take you from me unless you reject our Bond."

"Why did Fintan think he could take me then?" Sookie asked.

"Since it was daytime, he probably figured that he could take you away and try and change your mind about me."

Sookie snorted, "Like that could ever happen."

"I am not the kindest creature in existence, Sookie. Fintan and Niall are more than aware of my past indiscretions." He told her.

"What's the worst thing you've ever done?" Sookie asked quietly.

Eric was thoughtful, "I suppose it is all a question of morals. What some might consider unthinkable, is rather common place to others. I believe a shorter list would be: what are the horrible things I _have not_ done."

"Okay, what _haven't_ you done?" Sookie asked.

Eric groaned at himself for opening this line a questions, "I had never taken someone without their consent-"

"ERIC!" Sookie actually scolded him for his use of the past tense, and he could feel her annoyance through the Bond, "What did I tell you all day!?" She demanded.

Eric smiled at her. She would never allow him to take responsibility for his attack upon her.

"It _wasn't_ nonconsensual! Did I ask you _once_ to stop?" She demanded. "Do I _need_ to get Godric involved in this?" She threatened when she did not feel him giving in to her acceptance.

Eric growled, "Are you threatening me?" He demanded.

"Yes!" She growled right back, "You don't punish yourself! You're rational, and you don't wallow. So, somethin' else has to be up. Now, tell me what this whole thing is really about, or I'm pagin' Godric."

There was silence for a long moment, and just as Sookie's patience was dwindling, Eric spoke, "Even as a fledgling, I was not impulsive. Godric stated on many occasions how little I reacted on my emotions, which is very uncommon for a newborn vampire. I have been covered in fairy blood, and consumed it many times before; especially during the Vampire/Fae wars." He was quiet for another long period before continuing, "The way I lost control today... That has never happened. Why would that happen? And with you of all people? The only creature I have ever wanted to never lose control around. I never wanted to be the source of your fear, ever." Nuzzling his face against her hair, "I know you have told me that you were only scared by what you had seen in Fintan's head... That it had nothing to do with what I was doing to you, but I could _feel_ it. I was not aware of what the origin of your terror was, and the fact that you were scared and I could not stop myself- even when I believed that you were frightened of me..." He held her tighter to himself, "That is what terrifies me. That there is something that could keep me from putting your safety above all else." He was kissing the side of her head, "That I _could _hurt you, and not even care. Does that mean that I do not love you? Have I been mistaken this whole time? If I can not stop myself from violating you, how can I say that I love you? How can you believe that I ever did?" A bloody tear formed in his vibrant eyes at this reality shattering inquiry. It rolled across the the bridge of his nose and down his other cheek to stain the pillow beneath his head while marking the path of future tears.

Sookie stroked a few strands of Eric's bright hair, slowly, with care. He could see the contemplation in her eyes, feel the curiosity swirling inside of her. Finally, after torturous moments, that wonder changed to acceptance, and a smile alighted her lips and wide, orb-like eyes, "I can't say that I have an answer to any of that, Darlin'." She told him, but her smile was still big and innocent, "Maybe you lost control 'cause there was nothin' left for you to worry about. Maybe you lost control with me, 'cause you_ could_. I don't know that this is proof that you don't or never loved me, but maybe it's proof that you do? You lost control. You lost your head and didn't care about the consequences in that moment because you really love me, and know I love and accept you back. It was okay for some wild part of you to let loose because that part knew that it was safe, that I would never reject you, and that I would protect you in that moment of vulnerability." She curled that strand of long, soft hair around her fingertip and gave it a gentle tug to encourage his lips to hers. After a short, soothing kiss, she finished, "Now my Sheriff's back, and that brain of his is questionin' and complicatin' everythin'. You finally got to feel what it's like to be wild, and your head just doesn't know how to accept that, does it?"

"I have been in the throes of bloodlust many times, Lover." Eric pressed.

"But never let your emotions rule you, right?" She pushed right back at him, "You already said that Godric was impressed at just how little you reacted to your feelin's." Sookie gave him another reassuring kiss, "You almost never act on a gut instinct, you always got to weigh every option first."

Eric smirked, "Not since I met you." He told her.

"You taught me how to use my head, and I'm teachin' you how to follow your gut. Fair trade off?" She asked.

"Yes. A fair trade off, indeed." Eric kissed the top of her head once more, taking her left hand in his to bring her engagement ring to his lips as well, "If I had hurt you..-"

"Eric," She took his chin into her fingertips and drew him in for a kiss, "I would have pushed you away, but I'll never push you away." He nodded, pressing his forehead to hers. He opened his eyes when he felt a drop of moisture drip onto his hand, "You won't let anyone take me from you, right?"

Eric smiled, "Never." He promised.

"Eric," Sookie's eyes went big for a second, _"Eric, if Fintan's my grandpa, and Niall is his dad... You said Niall was a Prince?"_

"_Yes."_ Even Eric's "head voice" sounded hesitant, careful.

"_And you've said... That I am _royalty _too."_

"_You are, although, whether you can take the throne or not is questionable due to your heritage. You would probably only succeed the throne if you were the only living member of the Brigant family, as well as able to take on the Water Fae Clan. Seeing as they do not approve of hybrids... At all... It would be my political opinion that you abdicate your throne. However, I have my doubts that this would-"_

"_But other than an alliance, __**why marry me to a vampire?**__ I'm not immortal, right? And it's not like we could've made babies to take the thrones, so what's the point of that kind've marriage?" _

"_The point, is unclear. There would be benefits, but, honestly, not many. The marriage would be more of a fringe benefit rather than a purpose. Aside for aid in the war, Niall or Fintan might have wished you to be under André's protection against any fae threats. But André could do with you as he liked. Treated you any way he wished- so long as you were not killed."_ Sookie could feel a slight vibration to Eric's thoughts, as if he were grasping desperately at his brain not to show her exactly what he believed André would use Sookie for.

"_So, all they ever cared about was me stayin' alive, not whether it was a life worth livin'." _Sookie asked sadly.

"So it would seem." Eric whispered, not trusting his thoughts not to betray him.

"Eric," Sookie asked quietly, "can I give Jason a call?"

"Of course." Eric nodded, needing a moment to himself as well. "May I ask you why you wish to speak to him so suddenly?"

Sookie shrugged, "Weird human thing, I guess. He's the only family member I got left that hasn't tried to sell me. Kinda just want that comfort for a moment." Eric nodded at her and left the room to wash his face. When he was gone, Sookie wiped away a stray tear and picked up the phone on her bedside table, dialing her brother's number.

"_Yup?"_

"Hey, Jason, it's Sookie."

"_Hey, Little Sis, what's up?"_ Jason sounded delighted to hear from her, which made the young girl feel warm inside.

"I was wonderin' if there was any chance we could get together tonight?" She asked gently.

"_Somethin' up? Are you okay? Did your boyfriend do somethin' to ya?" _Jason demanded in quick succession.

"Yes, somethin's up. I guess I'm okay. No, Eric didn't do anythin' to me." She answered in the same order he had asked. "It has to do with when we were kids... Well, more to do with when I went to live with Gran... I need your permission to listen to your thoughts and memories about what happened. I met someone earlier today that is makin' me a bit confused about the past." She explained. "I need your memories to make sense of them."

"_Anythin' for you, Sooks."_ Jason answered, _"Your man gonna be there?"_

"Yes... He proposed to me today." She told him shyly.

"_That's... Woah. Congratulations, Sis. That had to have been a nice birthday surprise!" _

"Oh! It's my birthday!?" She asked in surprise.

Jason laughed, _"Ya didn't realize?"_

"No, I should have, though. Eric said he wanted to ask me to marry him when I turned 18." She rolled her eyes, "Should've known he'd do it on the day."

Her brother gave another laugh, but she could tell it was a bit hollow. She asked him why, _"Guess I just thought he'd ask me if it was okay is all. I mean, I am your older brother and your only relative left... Well, sorta. Linda would be the oldest one, but her and Hadley don't give a shit 'bout us."_

"Why would he ask you?" Sookie was curious.

"_Just somethin' guys do. Yer s'pose to ask your girl's dad if you can marry their daughter. A lot of the time, if they don't gotta dad, you ask the next of Kin. Mother, siblin', somethin' like that."_ Jason explained to her.

"Oh, well, to be fair, Jason. He just met you a little bit ago. Heck, I practically just met you less than a week or so ago!" She laughed. "I think it woulda been awkward for all of us if he had."

"_Guess you're right. So, when do you want to get together tonight?"_

Sookie paused for a second and called out to Eric in her mind, _"Eric, can we see my brother tonight?"_

"_You sounded as though you were already planning to."_ Eric answered her.

"_I'm sorry."_

"_Do not be. I think it is a fine idea. Tell him we will meet him in Bon Temps at nine, and ask if there is a place to eat."_

"Jason, can we meet at 9?"

"_Sure, sounds good to me. Where?"_

"Know any places in Bon Temps?"

"_There's a new bar and grill called Merlotte's just opened. New comer in town, so it ain't gotta good rep. Y'know how small towns are..."_ Sookie heard Jason scowl and swear at himself, _"I'm sorry, Sooks. Ya don't really know how small towns are, of course ya don't."_

Sookie laughed, "Don't beat yourself up over it. There's a bunch of stuff I don't really "get" yet, but I only start gettin' them if I do them, right?"

Jason laughed, _"Yeah, that's right. Well, I'll see you tonight."_

"See you tonight, Jason." She waited and listened to her brother hang up before disengaging the phone, and going to find Eric. He was sitting on the couch in the den, "You could hear my conversation?"

"Of course. I also heard you and Angie discussing our sex life the other afternoon." Sookie's face went pale, "I am not angry, Lover. You should know, I can hear everything that happens in this house."

"I'm not used to you bein' awake durin' the day." She finally admitted, obviously chagrinned.

Eric laughed, "Do you normally tell Angie about our sex life?" He asked.

Sookie shrugged, "It just came up once, and it was a topic I wasn't worried about talkin' about. It was nice to have somethin' to talk about that I wasn't worried about bein' judged."

Eric chuckled a bit, "Most humans are more embarrassed to talk about their sexual experiences than other topics."

Biting her lip self-consciously, Sookie asked, "Why did you want to go to Bon Temps?"

Eric smiled, "To show that miserable little town what it overlooked."

Sookie's jaw dropped, "Bu-but, I'm not... I can't... I'm still-"

"You have made leaps and bounds in your education, Sookie. You are reading with great ease, and you are definitely nearing an acceptable level of education for your age. I think that it is _more_ than time for you to start actively socializing." Eric told her. "All you must remind yourself of is this- _no one knows everything_. So, do not be shy to ask questions, and you can always ask me if you wish to." He tapped his temple.

Sookie giggled, "It's good to hear _you_ say that no one knows everythin'." Eric's face turned very serious, and she could feel hesitation in the Bond, _"What?"_ She asked him telepathically.

"_Sookie, tonight might be a prime opportunity to take one less rat out of this cat and mouse game we have been playing. I hesitate to ask this of you, but I believe in your abilities and choices."_ Eric was still reluctant in explaining his plan.

"_Eric, just ask."_ She prodded gently.

"_I believe that you should meet with your brother alone. Aside from assuring him that you are willing and able to function by yourself, it will make you appear vulnerable."_

"_You think my brother-"_

"_No, if I had misgivings about him, I would not even suggest this next point in our chess match. The point of him seeing you without me is for your brother's benefit. No, the vulnerability is so that _Compton_ will try and make his move. The only vampires in Louisiana that know that I have Bonded are myself and Pam. However, your scent alerts other vampires that you are a Bonded human. If Compton falls into our net, and disregards the fact that you are Bonded and _still_ tries to take you- I am at liberty to kill him." _Eric explained to her.

"_How will Compton even know that I'm there?"_

"_He resides in that town, in his old family home. Coincidentally, it is only a graveyard away from your grandmother's former home as well. I would not be surprised if he has been snooping around that old farm house looking for information about you. Since it is currently not lived in, and not called home by any- he is free to move about it. Needless to say, since it is a small town, I am certain your brother will share his plans with one of his friends and the news will reach Compton's ears."_

"_How far away are you goin' to be while this is goin' down?" _Sookie asked carefully.

"_Not far. And you can keep me directly involved telepathically."_ Eric assured her.

"_You want to do this?" _

"_No. But I would be a fool to pass up such an opportunity. You see, it will not be unreasonable for me to torture him first. That is the opening I truly need. Therefor, Sookie, no matter what- you must not blow him up."_ Sookie nodded firmly, _"Compton is weak, and I should be able to get much more information out of him."_

"_I understand."_

Eric smiled, stroking her cheek, _"I know that you do. Now come closer, I want to feed you my blood so that you are strong and smell entirely of me this evening."_ Eric opened his arms to Sookie, and she crawled, happily, into his lap.

**TBC**

**A/N: All right, we got a little more information out there! Now, take a week and get your ponder on!**

**REMEMBER TO REVIEW!**

**-ANDI**


	14. Chapter 14

Keep Me

_A/N: Good afternoon, Readers! Welcome to chapter fourteen of __Keep Me!__ This chapter has themes involving torture, although I am certain most of you anticipated that, but you know how I try and give a heads up. I am not particularly fond of torture, which thankfully means that it will be short lived (no pun intended). Regardless, I hope that you enjoy! Now on with the chapter!_

_-Andi_

**Chapter Fourteen:**

Sookie stepped nervously out of Eric's Corvette. She tugged self-consciously at the hem of her sundress, and wobbled a little in her heels that she was unaccustomed to walking on gravel in.

"No need to fidget, Lover. You look beautiful. Now," he kissed her forehead, "have fun, and I will see you later." He held her tightly, and she could feel how badly he did not want to leave her, _"__And alert me if or when you feel a void approaching. I must remain further out so that Compton cannot smell me nearby. Hopefully, your evening with Jason will not be interrupted, but we must prepare for anything."_

"Okay. I love you, Eric." She tilted her chin back for a kiss, which he gladly obliged her.

"And I, you." He agreed with a mumble against her lips before letting her go, and getting back into his car.

Sookie watched as Eric drove away, and took a steadying breath before opening the door to Merlotte's. The first thing she saw was a bright red headed woman with long, talon like nails. "I.D." The woman snapped.

"Oh, I thought this was a restaurant, too. I'm not drinkin'. I'm only 18." Sookie faltered, "Do I have t'leave?" She started backing away towards the door, wide eyes never leaving the demanding woman.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Hon- the kids is always tryin' to get beer underage. If you say you aren't drinkin' it's fine. Here, I'll show you to a seat. You here alone?" The woman asked.

"I'm suppose to be meetin' my brother Jason." Sookie mumbled, maintaining a distance.

"Jason... Stackhouse!?" The woman pointed, "Ain't you Sookie, then? The little girl that went to the-"

"Yes." Sookie cut her off, "And it's a sensitive subject that I would appreciate you not mentionin' again." Her eyes turned icy and the waitress backed off, "Now, seein' as my brother isn't here yet, I'll just sit right here. Thank you, Arlene." Sookie had chosen a booth not in Arlene's section, and promptly sat down with a relieved sigh.

"_Everything all right, Lover?"_ Eric's voice asked in her head.

Sookie managed to refrain from flinching, _"Yeah, just a waitress askin' me personal questions. I'm fine, though. Jason's not here yet."_

"Hey, my name's Dawn, what can I get ya to drink tonight?" A brunette waitress came up to the telepath, pencil and paper in hand.

"Oh," Sookie glanced down at the menu, "Just some raspberry iced tea, thank you." She asked politely.

"You alone tonight?" Dawn asked.

"Oh, no, I'm meetin' up with Jason Stackhouse. Do you know him?" Sookie decided to leave out the part about being Jason's sister, but regretted it at the flare of Dawn's temper.

"That... I can't believe this!" Dawn shrieked, "Well, I hope you're happy with him-"

"He's my _brother!_ I'm Sookie Stackhouse, his baby sister." Sookie explained, feeling completely off kilter by this constant guessing game of who to share her genealogy with, and who not to, "He's not cheatin' on you, I promise."

"What the hell is goin' on out on this floor?" The bartender stomped over, "Arlene bitchin', you screamin', what the hell y'all think-" He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Sookie sitting before him.

"Sam, this is Jason Stackhouse's little sister, Sookie." Dawn explained, "Sookie, this is Sam Merlotte, the bar owner."

"Dawn, go get her drink." Sam said distantly, which the waitress did not miss his distraction.

"Hi, Mr. Merlotte." Sookie waved, not offering a hand which only seemed to turn the man's gaze steely.

"I've never met one, but... Never thought one would look like you." Sam shook his head sadly.

"Umm, what are you talkin'..." Sookie finally noticed Sam's red snarls and inched away subtly, "A Were." She whispered.

Sam sneered, "Shifter."

"Never met one of you." Sookie admitted, shoulders relaxing, "I've wanted to since Eric mentioned that you can become whatever you want. I thought it was a lot cooler than havin' to be just one thing."

Sam's brow raised first with surprise, then scrunched with curiosity, "You're a lot nicer than I thought a blood slave would be..."

"_Eric, what's a blood slave?"_

"_Who are you speaking with, Sookie?"_ She could feel Eric's emotions ricocheting from anger to annoyance to a bit of disappointment.

"_The bar owner's a Shifter. Thinks I'm a blood slave... Am I? What is it?"_

"_No, you are __**not**__ a blood slave. Tell him that you are Bonded. Blood slaves are despicable creatures that vampires have made addicts of their blood and use to do their bidding. They are without their own mental faculties and only function under the persuasion of blood."_

"I'm **not** a blood slave. I'm Bonded." Sookie replied vehemently now that she understood what Sam had implied.

Sam snorted, "No matter what word you call it- he's still your Master, Girl. You still have to do what he tells you. So, was a little high worth slavery?" He asked.

Sookie's brow knit now, "Mr. Merlotte, I am nobody's slave. I'm with Eric because I chose to be, and I Bonded to him because I want to be with him always. Now, either leave me alone, or kick me out of your bar, but don't keep standin' there presumin' to understand my life or my choices just 'cause you hate vampires." The glass Dawn was carrying over to the telepath exploded in her hand, making the waitress cry out in surprise, and sudden pain as a shard went into her hand, "Oh!" Sookie stood up, pushing past Sam to get to the brunette, "I'm sorry, are you okay?"

"Sorry?" Dawn looked utterly confused as she was momentarily distracted from her pain, "The glass broke. Why are you sorry?"

Shaking her head at the mistake, Sookie explained on the fly, "I meant, sorry that that happened to you. Here, let me help you clean that out. It's easier when someone else can pick the pieces out for you." She explained kindly.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Dawn asked carefully as she lead the way to the ladies' room.

"Not at all. You're seein' my brother, right? Don't want him thinkin' I don't approve of his girl." Sookie smiled.

"Well, we're... Ya see, Jason and I are..." Dawn struggled for the words, but Sookie could see what the woman could not bring herself to say.

"You're just waitin' for the other shoe to drop?" Sookie took the words from her head, "Y'know, you can't put off livin' 'cause you're waitin' for somethin' to go wrong. 'Cause... It always will, but not always the way you think it will. So, enjoy the times when life is good, and don't question them. Everythin' has its moments where you could rip out your hair. Sometimes they last days or months... It's hell when it's years... But the good things come eventually." She reassured, as she picked the glass fragments from Dawn's hand with her nails, "So live up the good times, bear the bad times, and just strive for better times when the world turns to hell again."

Dawn gave a slight laugh, "I guess that's true... But..."

"But?"

"He's just so gorgeous!" Dawn replied forlornly, "Every woman that passes him by gives him that _look_, and I just know he's gonna cheat on me!"

"Why?" Sookie stopped her picking to look into Dawn's eyes, "Because he's so handsome, he must be absolutely incapable of bein' faithful to one woman?" She asked.

"He's your brother, you-"

"Dawn, he may be my brother, but I haven't seen him in about fourteen years. Heck, you probably know him better than I do." Sookie admitted, "What _is_ my brother like?" She asked. Of course Dawn did not need to speak for Sookie to know exactly what the waitress thought of her brother. The picture she saw was reassuring. Jason seemed to treat girls with courtesy and consideration. Almost... Brotherly protectiveness.

"Sookie?" Sookie snapped out of her daze at Dawn's calling of her name, "Where'd you go off to just now?"

"Oh, just visualizin' my brother like you were tellin' me." Sookie smiled softly, "All finished." She dropped Dawn's hand and gestured to the sink, "It'll sting somethin' fierce to wash out, but it's not too deep to need stitches." She assured as she washed her own hands. "Take your time gettin' yourself together, I'm not in any rush for my order." She teased before leaving the bathroom.

As Sookie left the bathroom, Sam Merlotte grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her away to his office, "What the fuck are you?" He snarled in her face.

Yanking her hand out of his grasp, Sookie snapped back, "None of your business, Shifter. But if you thought the explodin' glass was impressive, you'll be damned surprised what I can do to someone who threatens me." Her eyes narrowed into cold shards of ice, "I'm not some naïve little girl who doesn't know about the world. I have lived in the underbelly of this human world. I've seen what horrors _humans_ can do to one another, and I'll be damned if I let a stranger tell me what Supes are _good and bad_. I don't need to be protected like some lost little girl. Now let me out of here before my Bonded shows up and turns you into a tripod."

There was a heartbeat's hesitation, but Sam did put a few steps between himself and Sookie. When she did not leave his office, Sam asked, "Well!? What are ya still here for!?"

Cocking her head to the side, Sookie let out a long, suffering sigh, "Listen... I get it, I really do. You've seen plenty of gullible little girls manipulated and just ruined by Weres and Vampires. You feel like you should try and protect them. It's admirable, it really is. And to be perfectly fair, a few months ago- I probably could've really used a guy like you to help me. But the vampire who found me, taught me, and made me the person I am right now... Well, I think he's doin' a good job. So, thank you for your concern, really. I'm not used to people, strangers even, carin' enough to make sure I'm all right. It's a new thing for me, and I'm sorry for threatenin' you. It's kind of an automatic response lately."

"'Cause you're with a vamp?" Sam guessed.

"No. It's because I can finally actualize those threats myself." Sookie smirked and walked out of the office.

Walking down the narrow hall between Sam's office and the main bar, Sookie took the time to check in with Eric, _"Everythin's still fine, I promise."_

"_I know, Lover. You would have sent for me otherwise. The telepathic communication is so useful. I would have killed someone by now were it not for my lack of being summoned. How are you feeling? Your emotions have been rather turbulent the last half an hour. Is your brother upsetting you?"_ Eric asked.

"_Actually," _Sookie paused in the hallway, _"Jason's still not here. I haven't even felt his head nearin' us. He must not even be in the bar yet. We said 9, and it's almost 9:30. I wasn't expectin' him to be early or anythin', but I didn't expect him to be so late..."_

Walking into the main floor of the bar, Sookie stopped Dawn, "Is my brother usually one to run late?" She asked.

Dawn frowned, "No, not really. Only if he plans things too close to the end of work, but he'll have been done for a few hours now." Setting the tea Sookie had ordered earlier down, Dawn asked, "I got his cell number, you want me to give him a call for you?"

Sookie smiled, "That'd be real nice. Thank you."

"_The waitress that's datin' my brother said she'll give him a call. Maybe he got nervous about seein' me again so soon."_

"_I doubt that, Lover. Perhaps he is having engine trouble."_

Sookie bit her lip and focused on Dawn's brain as she used her phone to call Jason. He did not pick up.

"Sorry, Sookie, but Jason isn't answerin' his phone." Dawn grimaced.

"It's okay..." Sookie answered with a strained smile.

"Sookie?" The blonde turned at her name to find a dark haired man approaching her booth. She was not even compelled to reach for the void that was his mind. Only one other person in this area would recognize her name like that.

"William Compton, I presume?" Sookie crossed her arms over her chest, silently cursing herself, her brother, and Merlotte for acting as enough distraction for the void of a vampire to slip past her.

Compton grinned, "Bill, please." He nodded his head curtly, "I see my reputation precedes me."

"My Bonded has mentioned that you reside in this town." Sookie answered sternly, making sure that there was no dispute that Bill would be aware of her status.

Bill did not seem phased at the news. It was obvious that Niall had informed André, and that André had alerted Bill. Yet, here Compton was, still trying to weasel his way in. "And what brings you here?"

"Oh, but you know that _too_." Sookie pressed, "What did you do to my brother?" She demanded angrily, though keeping her tone even.

Bill smiled, "You are very quick. Not the simpleton I was lead to believe you were. André told me that you were a child, completely uneducated. Yet, you seem to play the guessing game well."

"André has old information, and so do you." Sookie smirked. "And you won't be gettin' any updates from me."

"I see." Bill smiled at her, and Sookie could feel a pinging against her shields. She had not felt the sensation since her first night with Eric, and it took her a moment to recognize what the uncomfortable sensation on her brain was, "You will come with me to my residence." He said in a deep timbre that was a strained bass to his normal speaking voice.

"_Eric, does glamourin' someone's Bonded work as a punishable offense, 'cause he's tryin' to make me go home with him."_

"_I am on my way. Hold him for forty-five more seconds."_

Sookie stared blankly at Bill, as if his words had bounced right off of her and gotten lost in the space between them. "Sookie, come with me now."

"Bill," Sookie answered in a clear, even voice, "you still haven't told me what you've done with my brother."

A low growl resounded in Bill's throat, "It's true." He snarled softly so that none could hear, "You can't be glamoured!" He grabbed her wrist so swiftly and harshly that it took all of Sookie's will power not to cry out, or worse yet- blow him up. When she was forcefully yanked out of her seat, and pulled to the vampire's chest, he grunted, "Stay silent or your brother's fate will be far worse than yours."

"Compton." Bill whirled around to find Eric looming over him. A few patrons startled at the giant's sudden appearance, but shook it off. Sam Merlotte, however, had not missed the entrance that Eric Northman had made. "You have put your hands upon my Bonded. You have attempted to glamour her."

"She made no declaration of her status." Bill snapped back just as quietly, though far less assured.

"I beg to differ." Sam stepped into the ring of Supernaturals, "I heard her state plain and clear that she was Bonded." Eric glanced at the bar owner long enough to give the briefest of approving nods. "Now all of ya, get out of my bar. Quietly. And you," he looked at Sookie, "come back any time, Cher. You and yours."

"Your offense of touching my Bonded will be forgiven this time, Merlotte. So long as you stand by your statement of witnessing this whelp's infraction against my Bonded." Eric told him as he forcefully removed Bill's hold on Sookie, and placed his own death grip on the back of the other vampire's neck, "And if you go to Jason Stackhouse's residence and seek him out. Make sure that he is unharmed, and your debt for touching Sookie will be repaid." He stated before directing Bill out of the bar.

"_How did you know he touched me?"_ Sookie asked, nearly jogging alongside Eric towards the door.

"_I could smell him."_

"_Oh,"_ Sookie absorbed this a moment before continuing, _"I was goin' to tell you once we weren't in the middle of all this."_

"_I know."_

Once outside, Eric dragged Bill into the woods behind Sam's trailer. When they were well hidden he turned to Sookie, "Get on my back, Lover, and hold on tight." He instructed as he put a binding hold on Bill. Sookie did her best to jump onto Eric's back but ended up needing to bring him near a fallen tree to stand upon it and mount him that way. "Tighter than that, Sookie." Eric prodded, and Sookie clung as hard as she possibly could before Eric took off into the sky.

"WOAH!" Sookie cried as she found the ground quickly falling beneath them. "Woah, woah! Slower!" She yelped, her knees squeezing his sides so tightly that it made Eric laugh. He could already feel her thighs trembling with the fatigue of holding him so securely.

Eric felt Bill trying to squirm out of his hold, but Eric held fast; 800 plus years over the other vampire giving him more than an excessive ability to restrain Bill.

Soon, Sookie saw the ground rushing back up to meet them, and the three stood in front of the building that would in later years house Fangtasia. Bill attempted to cry out for witnesses, but a sharp fist under his chin halted the action and kept his jaw securely closed.

Sliding down Eric's back and onto the ground, Sookie took Eric's keyring and quickly found the one to unlock the door. When they were all three inside, Eric nodded for Sookie to go ahead and open the door to the basement.

"_Lover, call Pam here. She always has enjoyed watching me work."_ Eric's inner voice sounded excited.

Biting her lip, Sookie reached for Pam's mind, _"Pam, Eric wants you to join us at Fangtasia while he interrogates Compton."_

_"Mmm, my pleasure!"_

"_She's on her way."_ Sookie told him as she followed Eric down the stairway.

"Excellent." Eric held the vampire tightly, _"Now, go get the silver chains and start binding him. I will hold him while you do so."_

"_You don't want to do it? Wouldn't it freak him out to see it doesn't hurt you?"_

"_I do not wish to have all the fun too early."_

Sookie found the chains and began wrapping them strategically around Bill. Before she could truly begin she asked, "Should you remove some of his clothes first? It doesn't hurt as much with the fabric between his skin and the silver, right?" Bill's eyes widened at Sookie's suggestion, but Eric's grin widened the same amount as Bill's horrified gaze.

"An excellent observation, my Bonded. You will make a fine interrogator one day." He praised.

Sookie smirked and unwrapped the beginning of her bindings as Eric began ripping off articles of Bill's clothing. The Viking left the other vampire in nothing but his briefs. He did not wish to have his Bonded seeing another male naked, with the exception of his own Maker.

With more skin now exposed, Sookie went back to chaining the enraged vampire once more. The hissing of burning flesh was more than a bit unsettling for the girl, and the smell was awful, but she endured it. Compton hissed and growled, crying out on a few occasions as well.

Thoroughly bound, Eric released Bill and allowed him to fall to the floor, "We will wait for Pam now. I would not wish for her to miss out on the evening's festivities." He explained, "You remember Pam, yes?" He asked Bill. Bill growled in reply, making Eric smirk. "I knew that you would."

The wait was not long, and soon, a giddy Pam was standing amongst them. "Master, please tell me that this will end with your Sookie blowing him up. I did not get to witness the explosion of Fintan, and I feel like I was denied a once in a life time opportunity."

"If I ever get close enough to him, you might get to see me blow up Niall." Sookie reassured the vampiress, making her eyes glow with excitement, "Although, we'll have to think of a way to keep you from succumbing to the fairy blood if you are there for it." Sookie felt the slightest flicker of regret in the Bond and cast her eyes on Eric, "Don't you start, now." She told him sternly.

"Of course not, my Bonded." He smiled at her. "Now, would you like to try your hand at interrogating?" He asked.

Sookie was thoughtful for a moment, "It'll be a lot different than with humans. I can't hear in his head. Maybe I should see a master at work first?" She suggested with an even, flippant tone, but Eric could feel how desperately she wished to avoid participation.

Eric smirked and turned to Bill, "I suppose I should give you an opportunity to spill your guts before I spill them for you." He told him, "But first, to save us time, I will tell you what we already know. You are more than aware that you are only a pawn in this game. I do not know what is in it for you, nor do I give a fuck. It is probably something as simple as a spot in high regard to André's new regime. I say again- I could not care less about what was in it for you if you had succeeded."

"I know that Niall was looking to gain a vampire militia and the last remaining portal between Elfyria and this world hides within Louisiana. Seeing as Sophie-Anne would happily watch the destruction of the Fae, she would never supply Niall with this army. So, he courted André, offering to put him in a situation to become King and command those who owed him fealty to embark on Niall's crusade. I also know that Sookie was made to be a fringe benefit to this arrangement. Seeing that she is a descendent of a Royal, she would be a truce between the Louisiana vampires and the Fae royal family, thus allowing a safe portal for fairies to travel between the two worlds without being accosted. How am I doing so far?" Eric asked. Bill's reply was to clench his jaw, "Quite well, I see."

"Now, the best time to go after Sophie-Anne would be at a gathering. A situation where her safety could be compromised by the additional bodies. Of course, there would need to be an altercation or distraction so that she could be put in a situation where her security would be minimized, perhaps leaving her well being solely to André. At first I thought that this would happen at the Late Autumn Moon Gala, but no. She would be the only regent, and surrounded by too many loyal followers. There is also the issue that to become King, a vampire other than André cannot be the one to kill, and we both know how difficult it is to kill one's Maker. If any other vampire were to assassinate Sophie-Anne, they would take on the role of Regent unless they too were overcome. So, who does that leave? A Were would never agree to kill a royal. And there are so few that could try and take down Sophie-Anne to begin with. That leaves the Fae, once again. Only, Sophie-Anne's palace has similar wards against Fae as my residence. How would they get in? True, Niall has the ability to mask his essence as a Fairy. He could physically slip in and commit the murder. But how would he get in? No." Eric shook his head, "The Gala is too big of a risk for Niall to take. He would want to send an underling to die."

"Now, where would Sophie-Anne go that is crowded, where she is not the center of attention, and Fae wards are lax?" Eric tilted his head contemplatively, "There is always the interspecies Summit. But that is not for another two years, and Niall is losing ground quickly. He cannot wait that long. And do you know what finally struck last week after meeting Jason Stackhouse? Sookie." The telepath's ears perked at her name, "She was suppose to be your in, was she not? André was informed about her heritage, and unique taste. Sookie was going to be offered to the queen, since Sophie-Anne is such a large collector of unique flavors. Once Sookie was in the palace, Fintan would be able to use his grandson's blood to create a bridge to Sookie and bi-pass the anti-teleporting ward. I found it strange that Niall would hit Jason. No matter what Stackhouse had said or done, Niall would never touch an ungifted offspring like Jason- even in anger. But he needed Jason's blood. Sookie's closest blood relative to work the magic that would allow him to bi-pass the teleportation ward. So, now that Fintan is dead, and Sookie will not be around the queen other than the Gala, André's plot has taken a turn for the worst. Niall will be scrambling to come up with a new plan, and probably make a mistake, too."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Eric stared at Compton, "I can tell by your strained expression that I have been more than on the right track. The more you try to hide your responses, the more you confirm my suspicions. One thing I have not been able to suss out is why Niall would give Sookie to André. As my Bonded pointed out earlier, a marriage between the two of them would hardly create a lasting relationship between the Fae and Louisiana vampires. She cannot possibly be in line for the throne of Elfyria." The slightest drift of Compton's eyes made Eric pause, "She _is_ in line for the throne? Well, that is certainly a surprise." Sookie shifted uncomfortably now, "Has the Brigant clan been so thinned out that a hybrid like Sookie is actually eligible for the throne?"

"I'm not going to answer any of your questions, Viking." Bill spat back.

"I am sure that my Child is glad to hear that." Eric smiled down at him, a kindling of enjoyment visible in his eyes. "Pam, would you wish to begin?" He offered his progeny.

"Ooh, Master, you spoil me!" Pam walked forward, her own delight even more visible than her Maker's. "Where should I begin?" She eyed Bill with a hungry gaze, "It has been so long since I was able to torture a vampire." She purred, crouching down to look over the man's body contemplatively. "How about we take the little piggies for a walk?" She suggested, rising after her evaluation to retrieve a pair of pruning shears.

"Now, Compton, before my Child starts sending your "piggies off to market": what were all of the circumstances as Sookie's role as a bargaining chip?" Eric demanded, but the younger vampire kept his mouth tightly sealed.

Sookie blanched at the cry Bill tried to withhold when his right pinkie toe was cut off. It was even worse to hear Pam mentally sending her, _"This little piggy went to market... This little piggy couldn't stay home..."_ Pam paused momentarily between each toe as she worked her way in, waiting for an answer to Eric's question. When she reached the big toe of his right foot, she stopped and worked her way from the outside in on the other foot until only the largest toe on each foot remained. Bloody tears were welling in Bill's eyes, but he had managed to keep his screams in, and they were still wanting for information.

"Do not worry, Compton, I am only getting you warmed up." Pam assured, "Consider this the opening act. Eric is the main feature."

"Actually," Eric smirked, "I was hoping that Sookie would like to perform the coup de grace. I wish to see how her newest ability works on vampires, as well as see if she can localize it."

"You want me to see if I can blow off individual body parts instead of the entire body?" Sookie asked nervously, unable to keep her words as blasé as before.

"Yes, but we will have to wait until he either tells us everything, or find that he is strong enough to endure my millennium's worth of experienced interrogations." Eric smiled at her.

Bill cringed, "She can actually blow people up? She actually killed Fintan?" He asked.

"Oh, yes." Eric nodded, "Quite... Effectively, I might add."

"How did she find him?" Bill demanded.

Eric snorted, "I believe you are the one that should be answering _my_ questions. Or have you forgotten how torture works?"

With a sneer, Bill tilted his chin up and away from Eric, "Your Child needs more practice if she thought I would succumb to a few lost toes."

Pam cackled, "I'm just here to enjoy myself. I have not even begun to torture you. I am merely entertaining myself at the moment." She assured him and Sookie shuddered.

Eric could feel how just the beginning of the torture was affecting his Bonded. He should have told Pam to at least leave Bill's feet alone to begin with. The sight of Sookie shifting her weight ever so slightly and the occasional grimace was more telling than her emotions. He knew that she was recollecting the foot whippings Bartlett had given to her in no short supply.

"_Sookie,"_ Eric's voice was soothing in the telepath's head, _"would you like to go upstairs?"_ He could feel the relief in the Bond, and smiled, "Sookie," he began aloud now, "go upstairs and get contact of my correspondence. They should know what is happening."

The young woman nodded and turned to leave. She had only gone a single step when Bill called out, "Looks like your Bonded doesn't have the stomach for your work." Sookie's shoulders stiffened and she turned back slowly to look at the tethered vampire.

"Torture," Sookie said huskily, "is years, not hours, of pain. Torture," she hissed, "are wounds that take months, not minutes to heal. That's why vampires like you are so weak. The pain you're feelin' right now... It's fleetin'." She was stomping towards him now, "You feel it, and seconds later, you're already healin', already losin' the pain. You don't have to feel it every fuckin' step you take for the next week. Do you want me to torture you? Do you want to _feel my torture?_" She thrust her hands down and grabbed Bill's face.

The vampire reeled his head back in surprise, smacking it against the concrete beneath. Bloody tears were already dripping from his eyes, rivers of crimson rolling from his ears. Sookie was not quite sure how she was doing it, but through a mixture of her telekinesis and telepathy, she had shoved the blanket that cloaked his mind aside. However, instead of listening to his thoughts, she sent him her own. Every second of each painful step she had taken, every single throb of her head as she was suspended upside down for collective _hours._She reminded him what it was to breathe, and the agony of being unable to take a true breath with layers of duct tape restricting her ribs. The aches and sores of sleeping in a tub or on a floor came next. The grinding hunger as her stomach contracted in pleas for nourishment.

Bill had felt torture before, both psychological and physical from his Maker. But he had been a _man_, one that knew the hardships and cruelties of the world. He could have easily taken the abuse this little girl had endured! But it was not the thoughts of her pain that made him begin to shriek, it was the memories of them. The way her tiny body had experienced the tortures, the way her young mind had been so confused, so discarded... Bill was spasming with every strike she recalled, flinching at every remembered second of pain that lasted days before she finally acclimated- only to have the wounds re-inflicted. Every moment of the last six years of Sookie's short life was playing in a resounding loop. Every tear she hid from Bartlett's wanting and expectant stare was his to shed now.

"I can do this for _days_, Bill. I do not need much sleep, as of late. I will keep you awake, morning; afternoon; and evening if I must." Sookie growled, "72 hours straight if you so wish. Can you endure? Through the sun sickness, through the nights? Would you like to see my early childhood next?" She unloaded endless nights and days of being surrounded by violent minds. Soon, she felt a pushing against her brain and allowed whatever it was minimal entry. Bill was projecting at her. She viewed his experiences, the hardships he showed her, and she howled in disgust and anger with him, "That is not PAIN! That is not FEAR. That is _anger and resentment! _That is not torture!" She pushed her thoughts harder at him as she used the projection to gain entry to his own memories and thoughts, "You lost your family. Mine was ripped from me, mine despised me-"

It was like a stab to the young girl's gut when she saw his memories... When she realized just how _deeply_ Bill had been influencing her life, her terrors. Sookie snapped at him when she had seen enough- seen _all_, "Your burden was a large one, but one a man can shoulder. Tell me of any child that should have to shoulder mine. I will kill every monster, every child's living boogyman! Starting with all of my own! STARTING WITH YOU!" She released his mind and stood back up sharply.

"Sookie," Eric placed a tentative hand upon her shoulder, his voice sounding distant- as if under water , "are you all right?" He asked gently as he brought his other hand to his mouth and pierced his index finger with an elongated fang. Sookie gave him a curious look as he put the bleeding digit into her mouth. Once his blood touched her tongue, the girl lost her curiosity and let herself be dragged into the bliss his essence brought her. His own mouth was licking a slow, but predetermined trail up the side of her neck before delving into her ear, making it pop. He repeated this action on the other side as well before whispering in that ear, "Your ears began to bleed. Your emotions were so intense, though, that I thought it wise not to interfere unless I felt that you were... Unless I felt you breaking."

"I guess ripping off whatever it is that shields your minds from me was a bit of a strain." She mumbled around his finger, giving a hard pull as the source began to close off. "Eric... Let me kill him. Please."

"You could read his mind?" He asked.

"Not at first. He was tryin' to justify himself mentally. When he started projectin' at me, I got a pathway into his head." She explained. "I couldn't do it under normal circumstances, though. A vamp would be well aware somethin' was really really off if I tried to do it in a normal settin'. Even then, I couldn't get in their head unless they let me, either intentionally or by accident... Kinda like how vamps can't go into a house uninvited. You can trick humans into lettin' you in, but it doesn't always work. I got lucky. Please, let me kill him now."

"What did you learn?" Eric asked.

Sookie sighed, "Niall doesn't want me alive much longer. The circumstances are: I'm next in line for Elfyria, but Niall would rather give the throne to the water clan than have me rule. So, the deal was, André gets me as a toy the next few years, and then I was suppose to be some brood mare for another fairy. When I gave birth to a reasonable heir, André would have the choice of turnin' me or killin' me. Either way, once I'm dead, I'm ineligible for the throne. Niall preferred that I was turned, though, 'cause my kid and I would be the truce between the Vampires and Fae. As for Bill's compensation, well, it was pretty much like you said: good standing with the new Regent. Also, André was gonna have Bill's Maker killed so that he would be free of her."

Eric nodded, "I see... I will contact Sophie-Anne and alert her to some of the goings on. We may have to meet in secret to discuss such a sensitive topic."

"I shouldn't go." Sookie told him.

"What?" Eric froze, "I cannot-"

"Eric, I can't go anywhere near Sophie-Anne. Especially if you're gonna put her in a situation where she'll be minimally guarded. Niall can still use Jason's blood to get to me. If he feels that I'm in New Orleans, what do you think he'll think I'm doin' there? No, we can't risk it. If he's as desperate as you think to get the queen out of the way, we can't risk givin' him any opportunities."

"But he could hear that I am in New Orleans from André and go after you here." Eric told her.

"_Godric."_ Pam's voice rang in Sookie's head, _"Call Godric here. He can watch over you while Eric is away. Also, splitting the two of you up will throw both Niall and André off. We might be able to take one or both of them out if the two of you are not together."_

Sookie relayed Pam's suggestion to Eric telepathically. She felt him immediately resist in the Bond. He felt the same way she did. They did not want to be separated.

"Eric..." Sookie gave him a look that spoke volumes. He did not need the Bond or telepathy to understand that look. It was Sookie's, "Brave Girl" face. She was preparing to do what she knew she had to, and by the Gods he could feel her trying desperately to focus on anything but despair, which only made her brave front so much more endearing.

"Sookie..." Eric sighed, "Call Godric." A single tear dripped down from her eye as she nodded, trying to subtly brush the tear aside.

"Yes... Eric." She whispered, _"Godric, we need you to come to Shreveport as soon as possible. Eric has to leave for New Orleans to assist the Queen, and I can't go with for security issues. Eric wants to request that you... Guard me while he can't."_

"_I will be there this evening." _Godric replied immediately.

"He will be here tonight." Sookie spoke quietly still.

"What the hell... Are you communicating telepathically now!?" Compton demanded from his place on the floor.

"_Can I kill him now?" _Sookie asked.

"_Sookie, what did you mean, starting with him? Your monster is dead. I killed him. Fintan is dead. The only remaining-"_

"_Niall had André and Bill in his pocket for about fifteen years now. This chess match has been in play almost as long as I've been alive, Eric. Ever since my telepathy was realized. Fintan told Niall that I had a spark. Since I was a hybrid, I would be easier to hide from the Water clan. All of the offspring they have been creating just kept getting killed off, and the hybrids they were making weren't showing Fae traits. Then I came along, and I was a girl. I could be used as a baby maker for a male fairy, and a sex slave and drinking fountain for André. Bill would finally be free of his Maker, André would be free of his Maker _and become Regent_, and Niall would have his vampire army, along with a new heir. But they couldn't let anyone know about me, not when I was young and vulnerable and incapable of breeding. Since Jason had Fae qualities, but no spark, and I had a spark, but was part human; Fintan and Niall severed their blood connection to us to keep the Water clan from finding me. They had to put me somewhere safe, somewhere to _break me_. So, Niall had Bill glamour my parents into believing I was mentally ill. Implanted memories of violence. He even glamoured the fuckin' psychiatrists at the hospital so they wouldn't realize that I wasn't violent or crazy. Eric, _they_ put me in that place. My parents might've actually loved me."_ Sookie sobbed for a second before collecting herself, _"Then, André got concerned that if I stayed in a mental hospital the entire time, I might become too damaged to be worth keeping. Rather than glamouring my parents into wanting me again- Niall let information leak that my father was a hybrid, and the Water clan killed them both. Bill glamoured my Gran into taking me in, and even altered her memories enough that all I heard were good things from her. That's why I wanted to hear Jason's memories tonight. To see if he had been glamoured back then, too. My Gran might have actually hated me for all I know... That one shred of peace in my past, and it was probably a lie... Then she had a stroke, she died and I went to Bartlett. Again, Bill comes in. Does he glamour him into _not_ wanting to abuse me? _NO_! He fuckin' glamours him into just never shovin' anythin' up my pussy so that I can be a royal baby maker!"_ She was gasping for air as her thoughts and realizations flowed into Eric like violent waves from a hurricane.

"Sookie," Eric said, bringing her slowly back to reality, "kill him. With extreme prejudice."

Turning her tear streaked face to Bill, Sookie asked, "You wanted me to try and just blow off a piece at a time right?"

"You may kill him however you wish, My Bonded. I will find another worthy of your experimentation." Eric reassured her.

Sookie nodded and focused intently on Bill. It took very little strain for her to gather enough anger and intensity to send his body flying in several different directions. The vampire did not even have time to cry out in pain before his head was ripped from his shoulders, and the rest of his body seemed to fall apart; the bones disintegrating and the flesh sloughing away in clumps of goo.

"That was fucking beautiful." Pam exalted at the mess at their feet, "I'm not cleaning it up, though." She quickly added.

"Not to worry, Pamela. I have a Were that will handle the clean up." Eric assured, "I am sorry that you did not get to enjoy torturing Compton more."

The vampiress shrugged, "I got to watch your Sookie make a vampire explode. That was far more entertaining than any torture I could do to him. I'd hate to acclimate to it too quickly, though. It should be special... Like Christmas, or the Fourth of July."

Eric smirked at his Child, "If you had anything else you needed to do this evening, Pam, you are free to leave at any time." Pam took this cue and nodded. Soon Eric and Sookie were standing in the basement of the warehouse, Compton's blood pooling at their feet. "I do not want to leave you behind, Sookie." Eric admitted once he knew Pam was out of ear shot.

"I know you don't." She smiled up at him sadly. "How long will you need to be gone?" Sookie asked.

"I will probably leave while it is still daytime tomorrow, and arrive in New Orleans by dusk. Everyone will have thought that I left you tonight. No one will know that you are guarded by Godric. He is flying in shortly." Eric assured.

"What if someone checks flight manifests?" Sookie asked.

"Not that type of flying." Eric explained.

"Godric can fly too!?" Sookie asked, "Can Pam? How come I never knew y'all could do that?"

Eric chuckled, "Pam cannot, and I never brought it up because flying is a high risk ability. It is too easy to be caught doing it."

"Can we go back to Merlotte's? I want to see if Sam found out anythin' about my brother." Her voice was tight with worry as she asked this.

"Of course, Lover." Eric put his arms around her and lifted Sookie up from the ground before carrying her up the stairs and out the door. Soon, they were back in the air, and heading towards Bon Temps once again.

When they settled back in the woods behind the bar, Sookie took off like a bolt for the door, not caring that it was an employee entrance. She went to Sam's office and flung the door open to see him sitting at his desk with a rather ragged looking Jason sitting across from him.

"Jason!" Sookie reached for him.

"Just," Jason held out a hand to keep her from coming closer- it was covered in blood, "stay right there."

**TBC**

**A/N: WELL, BILL'S BEEN TAKEN CARE OF, AND SOOKIE'S PAST IS GETTING MORE AND MORE MANIPULATED. NOW, WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH JASON!?**

**PLEASE REMEMBER TO REVIEW!**

**-ANDI**


	15. Chapter 15

Keep Me

_A/N: Welcome, Readers, to chapter fifteen of __Keep Me__! I do not have much to say in this little blip... Oh! Except, a reader asked about glamour, and how it works after a vampire dies. Well, in my opinion, commands given would disperse once the vampire who instilled them is finally dead. However, if a vampire uses glamour to alter a human's memories, I believe that would remain altered. Also, I found that a few of you were not necessarily "disappointed" that Bill's torture was not prolonged, however, I am not really one for "torture porn" (just the regular kind, thank you!) and chose not to linger. I think Sookie got what she wanted out of it!_

_Happy reading,_

_-Andi_

**Chapter Fifteen:**

Sookie froze at Jason's demand. She watched him tentatively, unable to bring herself to look at his thoughts uninvited. "Wh-what's wrong?"

"Let me think," Jason growled, "maybe it's that your boyfriend fuckin' stabbed me and tied me up to a tree on my way here?" He turned his other shoulder towards her to show his sister the wound. "Sam found me and brought me back to the bar with him. I don't think you should marry him, Sooks, 'cause his aggravated assaulting ass is gonna be in prison pretty fuckin' soon!"

"Jason, Eric would never." Sookie assured him.

"How many 6'4" Vikings do you think I know? Ya think I wouldn't recognize him?" Jason snapped.

Sookie froze. Her brother would never think to refer to Eric as a _Viking_, "Jason, I'm really sorry, but I'm gonna have to do this." She sighed before reaching out with her telepathy and listening to Jason's thoughts and memories. After she compared a few of his older memories to his memory of Eric attacking him, she was certain- Jason had been glamoured. And she was damn well aware of by whom. _"__Eric, Jason's been glamoured into thinking you stabbed him and tied him up. Is there any way you can fix that?"_

"_On my way in."_ Eric replied, and was soon in the office, adjusting Jason's memories. He decided to wipe the entire incident and replace it with getting a flat tire and gouging his arm while changing it.

"Okay!" Sam stood up, throwing his arms up in the air, "What the actual hell is goin' on with you two!?" He demanded, "I get the whole thing with you showin' up when that other vamp was messin' with your woman, but this? How do you just... _Appear_?"

Sookie looked to Eric and sighed, "It's complicated, and not really somethin' we can explain. He just knows when I need him. I told you we were Bonded. We can feel each other."

"Yeah, but he just comes in and starts usin' his vamp glamour like he knows exactly what needs to be done! That's not "feelin'", that's knowin' exactly what's happenin'." Sam was unrelenting.

"Merlotte, you only just got back in my good graces. Do you really wish to be on my shit list again so soon?" Eric's eyes were bored, but the threat was still just as real as if he were staring daggers.

"Do y'all know each other?" Sookie asked, sensing a bit of history.

"Only by reputation." Sam grunted.

"Seeing that he is one of two Shifters in my entire area- I am aware of him." Eric told her, "He had managed to keep himself from becoming indebted to me until this evening. However, he was quickly able to repay that debt. I will need to trick him once again." He explained with a smirk, "Shifters are always good creatures to owe you a favor."

Sookie sighed, "Okay, okay. Let's just get my brother home. He's had a long enough night."

Eric nodded at his Bonded before pulling the older of the remaining Stackhouse children to his feet. Jason stumbled a moment before his mind seemed to finally accept its most recent alterations, and he shook his head as if to clear it, "Woah, how much've I had?" He mumbled, holding his temple.

"Nothin' at all. You hit your head when you were changin' a flat. Eric and I came to find you, and you were lyin' on the side of the road." Sookie explained gently. "You okay, Jason?" She asked.

"I guess. My head hurts like nobody's business." He rubbed his temple where he had previously only held it. "Don't hurt like a hit, though. Hurts like a hangover."

Sookie grimaced, "C'mon, let's get you home." She put her hand on his lower back and began leading him out the employee entrance. Jason's truck was there, and Sookie did not miss his frown. "What?"

"Why's all my tires on it?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" Sookie was confused.

"Well, if I was changin' a tire, one've 'em must've been flat, right? So, my spare is a cheapo spare. It don't look nothin' like the others on my truck. So, why's all my tires the same if I was changin' one?" He asked.

"Your brother is not as slow as I originally thought." Eric realized.

"Spoiled rotten cousin with an over indulgent mother- when that's who ya call family, you do your best to get away from 'em right away. Best way to do that's gettin' a scholarship and gettin' the hell away." Jason frowned, "Now, what really happened to me?"

"It is not safe to explain it. I will say this, though." Eric turned towards him, "You were in grave danger this evening and were attacked. Luckily, Sookie had the foresight to send someone looking for you. She is the reason Merlotte found you and brought you to the bar."

Jason looked at his sister appraisingly, "You don't gotta give me no details, okay? Just answer yes or no if ya can, okay?" Sookie nodded slowly, "Is there... _Other_ stuff? Stuff like you?" Sookie paused for a second before nodding again, "Is your man an _other_?" He asked softly. Sookie looked to Eric, and Eric nodded for her, "And did I get attacked by an _other_?" They both nodded. "Okay."

"Okay?" Sookie asked carefully.

"What was you expectin'?" Jason looked at her as he climbed up into his truck.

"Well... Aren't you mad that we got you involved in this? You only got attacked tonight because you're _my_ brother." She pointed out.

Jason closed the door to the cab before leaning out the window, "Yeah, that's true. But that wasn't 'cause of somethin' you could help. I can't help bein' your brother any more than you can help havin' that gift of yours. And I like the thought of finally bein' a brother to you, and I'm sure, now, with this guy, you're pretty happy with your gift. No matter what problems you've given me by bein' who you are, or your gift has given you... Y'know what? I'm gonna tell ya somethin'." Reaching out the window, he took Sookie's arm, pulling it up until his hand could take hers and give it a gentle squeeze, "When we was kids, and you was just a lil' thing- ya used to flop down in the tall grass by the house's pond and smile up at the sun. Every time we stepped outside on a sunny day, you'd squint your eyes real tight and turn your face into the sun, and the prettiest smile I ever remember would crack open... When Mama and Daddy sent you away, I missed you a lot- especially at first." Reaching out of the window, he rubbed his thumb across Sookie's face and she smiled at him around the building tears in her eyes, "And every time I stepped outside into the sun, I'd squint my eyes shut real hard and turn my face into the sun. And it was like I had my baby sister back, even if it was just a second. Now that I gotcha- well, I'll take a bump on the head and a little intrigue any ol' day."

Without a second's hesitation, Sookie burst into tears and flung her arms around Jason's neck, the door of his truck the only thing separating them. Eric felt her gratitude and love for her brother washing throughout his entire body and it left him empty. He had never been a jealous man. There was nothing anyone owned that he could not have himself, and there had never been a creature worth feeling possessive of. However, feeling his Sookie bestow such love upon another, no matter the root or condition of that love, made him jealous and possessive. A part of him wanted to grab Stackhouse by the throat, tear him from the window of his vehicle and fling him across the parking lot.

But he was making Sookie happy. There inlay the conflict. It was an innocent love, and one that Sookie desperately needed. However, for all of the best wishes he had for his Bonded, he could not make himself content with another man, even her blood brother, making her happy. Distantly, Eric pondered if he would feel this way if it were Godric making her this happy. How would the Viking feel leaving his Bonded for an entire day and night, returning to find that his Bonded and Maker had become so close? He could not lie to himself. He would feel worthless if his Maker were to earn such a trust so quickly. The thought of the two of them tangled in the bed he shared with Sookie only infuriated him more...

"Eric?" Sookie was looking at her Bonded with worry.

"Yes, Lover?" Eric snapped from his mood instantaneously, realizing that Stackhouse was already pulling out of the parking lot.

"You ready to go?" She asked just as carefully as she had uttered his name.

Eric nodded sharply, and Sookie came to him, wrapping her arms around Eric's middle. She smelled of her brother, and that infuriated him. Tightening his arms around her little body, Eric rocked them ever so slightly, trying to cover her with his own scent once again.

"He's my brother, Eric." Sookie soothed as Eric tried to subtly infuse his scent to her, "There's no reason to be jealous." She ran her hand gently up and down his back.

"I know." Eric sighed.

"But you're not happy that I like bein' around him?" Sookie ventured.

"No."

"Because you're afraid he'll hurt me too?" Sookie asked.

"No." Eric looked at her, and she could have sworn he felt embarrassed, "Because he makes you happy, and I want to be the one to make you happy."

Sookie smirked, "So selfish." She cupped his chin, pulling him down to her lips, "Jason makes me happy in a different way than you do."

"I know. I can feel the way you are happy around me, versus how you are happy around your brother." Eric nodded, "It is more of a relieved happiness with your brother. Every time you see or speak with him, you become very tense, and then once your have spent time talking to him- you relax and enjoy the time with him. You are still the same way with your witch." He continued thoughtfully, "You are rarely nervous around me, though."

Sookie's smirk grew into a grin, "That's because you've seen me at my absolute worst, and still thought somethin' of me. Still saw _more_ in me." Her lips lingered near his as Eric remained hunched over her, keeping his mouth within range of her own, "Not in a million years did I think that I would be where I am, knowin' what I know, livin' how I live. You gave me a lot, Darlin'... But not because you pitied me. Because you wanted me to have all those things. You want me to be everything I can be and more." Nuzzling against his chest, she added, "I only get nervous around you when I know I did somethin' wrong."

"Why is that?" Eric already knew, but wanted to hear her say it anyway.

"Because, disappointin' you is like lettin' myself down." She smiled softly, "Because you're never truly disappointed in me- you're always sayin' how it just means I learned somethin' new... And I like that. All the times I was nervous because of you? It was all in my head. Ever since we Bonded- I haven't been scared of you at all!... Well, except that time I told Pam to walk out in the sunlight and you had to spank me- I was scared about that for sure. But even then, it wasn't because I was afraid of a spankin', it was because I was scared you wouldn't want me anymore." She confided.

Tangling his fingers into her hair, Eric gave Sookie another soft kiss, "I am never disappointed in you. I have questioned your decisions, and I have been angry at a choice or two that you have made... But you have been anything but a disappointment to me." He assured, "Now, shall I take you back to our home?"

"Yes." She smiled at him gratefully.

Before Eric could lift her up into the sky once again that evening, his cell phone rang, making the vampire frown and retrieve it from his inner coat pocket, "Good evening, Doctor..." Sookie's heart raced, knowing exactly who he was talking to, and having more than a pretty good idea who the doctor would want to talk _about_.

"_Northman, how is your Bonded doing? Any new developments in the last week?"_ Ludwig asked him.

"I already told you about the telekinesis, yes?"

"_You have."_

"Well, the ability seems strong enough to destroy more than just glass when properly provoked. Our communicative abilities are the same, as well as my bloodline's sleep schedules." Eric knew that Ludwig was fishing, but he wished that she would just ask him, "Should I be looking for anything in particular?"

Ludwig grunted before admitting, _"You remember how I told you that I was not sure how your blood would affect the maturation of her spark?"_

"Yes?"

"_Well, there are a few other things that female fairies go through as they mature. Seeing as I do not know how your Bonded is progressing, I am asking that you allow me to examine her regularly to document her progress. As a sign of good faith, I will not charge you for these extra visits. Consider them contributions to science and history."_

"History?" Eric's eyebrows rose.

"_Of course! You realize that you are the first Bonded vampire and fairy in recorded history, correct? No matter how diluted her blood is, she is still Fae!"_ Eric never thought he would hear the tiny doctor this excited. Never in his entire existence would he have bet on it. _"Of course there have been some instances where part Fae have been turned, but never _Bonded_, and none of those hybrids ever had a manifested _spark_! It is truly a time to be excited!"_

"Seeing as it is Sookie's body, allow me to talk it over with her for a moment." Eric pulled the phone from his ear and turned to Sookie, explaining the situation.

"What kind of stuff would she have to do?" Sookie asked, a tad apprehensive.

"_Hand her the phone, Northman." _Ludwig sighed when she heard Sookie's response. When the telepath was on the phone, the little doctor explained, _"I will do an appraisal of your physique on each visit, noting any changes in tone, texture, and color of your skin and musculature. There will be a few weekly tests in your motor skills, memory and general aptitude. I would like to test the extent of this telekinesis, discovering if there are things you cannot move as well as how much weight you can move. I may have to draw blood once a month to check changes in your hormones and general composition of your blood. Fae tend to have extremely low iron in their blood- it's what makes it so sweet to vampires, but being part Fae, has me wondering what that means for you."_

"I take iron supplements." Sookie frowned. "And a B12 vitamin."

"_Stop taking those right this minute!"_ Ludwig shouted, making Sookie pull the phone from her ear, _"Your vampire gave you those didn't he? Ugh! Patients! Always trying to self medicate! It's a travesty!"_ The doctor ranted for a moment longer,_ "Too much iron in a fairy hybrid could have put you in a coma! Anyway, stop taking both of those, and just drink your Bonded's blood instead."_

"Okay..." Sookie's brow scrunched with surprise and a bit of confusion, "Anythin' else you were gonna do to me?"

"_I suppose any further tests would have to be decided on after my initial examinations. I am particularly interested in cataloging the advancements in your spark's maturation. I am curious to see if a vampire's blood accelerates or retards the process."_ Sookie did not miss the excitement in the doctor's voice, _"So, what do you say?"_

"Well," Sookie looked at Eric, "as long as you don't do anythin' that would upset Eric, I'm not unfamiliar with bein' poked and prodded at. As long as patient/doctor confidentiality remains intact, I'm lead to believe that knowin' what my body is doin' will only be helpful. If my mind or body really can't handle my spark maturin' and I have to be turned, you would be the one to know when it's time."

"_A bright specimen, too!"_ Ludwig sounded happy, _"I might begin enjoying my observation time with you for more reasons than just research. When can I schedule my first appointment?"_

Sookie looked at Eric, knowing full well that he was listening to the entire conversation- both sides of it, "After my return." He said.

"Mornin' or night?"

"I would prefer night. I enjoy our daytime activities to remain undisturbed." He smirked.

"Saturday night." Sookie told her.

"_Any particular time?"_ Ludwig asked.

"No. Whenever it's convenient for you. You're a doctor, and you're goin' to have to do this in your spare time, so I won't make it too hard on you. Just call before you... POP in, okay? I don't want to accidentally blow you up." She admitted.

"_That is quite considerate of you... Perhaps the Viking can learn some things from you, too."_ Ludwig hung up after that statement and Sookie laughed and shook her head.

"What a strange doctor." Sookie said as she looked at Eric's phone contemplatively. "I hope she understands how serious I am about the possibilities of accidentally blowin' her up."

Eric laughed, taking his phone from her and wrapping his arms about her before leaping up towards the night sky.

"Where's your car?" Sookie shouted instinctively over the rushing wind past her ears. She knew he would be able to hear her without the shouting, but it was a reflex.

"_Outside of town. I had to go a distance away to keep myself from being detected by Compton." _Eric explained telepathically, since Sookie could not hear as well as he could while they flew.

"Oh... By the way, my brother was glamoured back when he was a kid. Probably by Bill. I didn't catch it in Bill's head earlier, probably because it wasn't enough of a point for him to bother recallin'. He had a memory of Gran tellin' him that he wasn't allowed to visit me when I came to live with her. It was a fake memory though." She told him.

_"That is sad. I am sure he would have enjoyed visiting_ you." Eric gave her a tighter squeeze as they flew a bit faster.

There was a long moment of quiet before Sookie asked curiously, "So, now what are we doin'?"

"_I believe we should go back to the house, and that you should lie down for a while."_ Eric replied.

"What? Why?"

"_It has been a physically and emotionally taxing day for you. I think you should relax. Let me coddle you."_ He buried his face into her hair._ "I do not want to send you into another 24 hour coma."_

"I don't think stress will make another power pop up." Sookie laughed.

"_Regardless, stress is not good for the mind or body. And I do not wish for you to damage either of yours."_

"Is sex taxin'? Or am I still goin' to get some tonight?" She teased.

"_Lover, you know very well that my body is something I cannot deny you."_ Sookie buried her face snuggly against his chest when he admitted this. A short time later, they landed beside Eric's concealed Corvette and were on their way home. "Are you comfortable with the doctor's request? Truly?" He asked after a moment of comfortable silence.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" Sookie asked.

"You spent your early childhood surrounded by doctors prodding at you. I thought you might find it... Unnerving." He admitted.

"You would have felt in the Bond if it bothered me." Sookie pointed out.

"Yes, but you might not have fully comprehended the psychological effects of Ludwig's examinations." Eric explained.

"Oh," Sookie thought about it a moment, "it wasn't really the doctors that bothered me. It was the other patients. The doctors weren't mean to me or anythin'. Most of them were actually pretty nice. Only, I couldn't act anythin' close to normal in there. The hospital was really scary for me, but the doctors didn't do anythin' scary."

"All right." Eric understood her grounds on the subject.

"And I think I understood the doctor just fine. I'm not stupid anymore, you know." She told him a bit grumpily.

"You were never stupid, Sookie." Eric leered at her, "You have always been quite intelligent... Education is not the be-all and end-all of intelligence. There are levels of intellect that cannot be taught, and you excelled particularly well in those categories from the beginning. And your instincts have been remarkable, too... I always found it intriguing the vampires that you take to, and those that you do not."

"What do you mean?"

Eric smirked, "Charles, in particular."

"I thought you liked Charles?" Sookie frowned.

"I do not like him at all. He is one that must be ruled by fear rather than acknowledging those who should be respected. He is particularly young, not even five hundred, and his Child is only a century younger than himself. Hardly enough of a gap for him to be experienced enough to raise a promising progeny. Luckily, Dana was a very level headed young lady. Charles turned her to do damage control for him. She was well adept at calming harsh tempers, and is loyal to a fault. I suggested to Sophie-Anne that Dana join her House to work as a liaison for other Regents' arrangements. The spot in the Queen's service gave Charles a sense of power, it got Dana out from under his thumb, and gave me an ear into the court without having to submit my own Child." Eric told her.

"So, you like Dana, not Charles." Sookie realized.

Eric nodded, "She is a promising vampire. If I knew that her loyal streak kept her from wishing for Charles' end, I would have killed him for her by now."

"Was he bad to her?" Sookie asked gently.

"She had a rough time with him in the beginning." Eric began slowly, "Charles was not prepared to control a newborn, and abused his Maker's Command too often. He was unaware how to correct her appropriately and, in my opinion, took his punishments too far. He was too young to know how to raise a Child. But, much like you, Dana was a good student, an eager one, and that kept her from needing to endure too many hardships."

As they pulled up to the house, Sookie stared off for a moment longer, "Eric?"

"Yes, Lover?" He replied as he came around to her side to open the car door.

"How much worse are vampire punishments in comparison to what I went through?" She asked.

Eric sighed and took her hand to pull her from the car, gently. He was still thinking about how to explain while they entered the house, "You have been punished by me before."

"You know how I mean." She frowned.

"It depends on the Maker, which I have told you. Godric's Maker was very cruel, and that cruelty began even before Godric was made Vampire." Eric told her.

"How so?" Sookie asked as Eric lead her into the house.

"Perhaps you should ask him." Eric suggested as they went into the living room, "He will be your companion most of tomorrow. His history might distract you from missing me." The feeling of despair shot through the Bond like a bullet, and Eric immediately regretted reminding Sookie of his inevitable departure the next afternoon, "Oh, Lover, do not worry." He soothed, brushing his fingers through her hair, as he kissed her crown, "It will be less than 24 hours. We will be all right." He reassured.

"Why do I feel like my heart's about to rip in two, and you're... You're just..." She gestured at him, not finding a suitable word for his lack of emotional response to their nearing separation.

"It is there, Sookie," he smiled carefully, "you just cannot feel it around your own unhappiness."

"I can feel your lust when I'm lustful." She pouted.

Eric smirked, "Yes, but you feel that because you want to experience my passion alongside your own. A part of you probably does not want to experience my grief, however."

Sookie's head bowed shamefully, "I must be selfish..."

"No," Eric tilted her chin back gently, "you are going into self preservation. It may _seem_ selfish, and by its definition, it is the epitome of selfishness. But it is not a stigmatized selfishness. If ignoring or being ignorant of my own unhappiness is what you need to do to keep yourself sane, then I will not begrudge you that necessity. I just hope that you do not rush to the conclusion that your absence from my side will not burn away at my soul every second you are vacant from my sight."

"But I don't want to be ignorant of anythin' about you!" She wailed, flinging her arms around his neck and pulling herself up as far as she could until his strong arms supported her weight for her, holding her tightly to his body, "I want to know everythin'. The good, the bad, the... The... horrifyin' stuff, too! I'm your Bonded, I want _all of you, not half!_"

Eric smiled into her hair as he tightened his embrace ever so slightly, "I want all of you, too." He assured, "And to give all of myself."

Arms still about his neck, Sookie pulled herself up the rest of the way to capture Eric's lips with her own. The vampire responded immediately by slowly walking towards his safe room, taking his time as he enjoyed her kisses. The girl in his arms moaned as his gentle motion rocked her against his body. They arrived on their bed just as her body began craving more from him than just his sweet kisses.

Laying Sookie on the bed, Eric took his time removing her clothes. Her shoes were the first to go, kissing her ankle as he released the tiny buckle of her shoe strap and kissing up to her knee before giving a similar treatment to the other leg. This time, he travelled past her knee, pushing the hem of her skirt up as he gave tribute to every inch of skin that he revealed along the way. His free hand massaged the back of her leg as he went, and Sookie rolled her hips appreciatively when the fabric was flipped up above her panties. The peach lace shimmered flirtatiously at Eric and he kissed her through the partially transparent screen between his lips and her flesh.

"Eric." She sighed his name, a beseeching hand tangling its fingers into his hair now that it was within reach. Her hips rolled again as he nipped lightly at the protruding bone of her hip and gave it a soothing lick afterwards.

Soon, Sookie was arching her back as Eric slid her panties down her legs, her dress remaining bunched up at her waist as his fingers came back to caress and soothe her increasing ache. Pushing Sookie onto her side, Eric nipped and kissed at her shoulder as his fingers continued their rubbing and pleasuring.

"Mmm, why're you goin' so slow?" She asked in a foggy whisper.

"I told you that I wished for you to be relaxed." He reminded as his free hand brushed her hair away from her neck so that his lips could worship there next. "Does it not please you?" He asked, knowing full well that it more than pleased her.

"You always please me." She answered softly, her eyes squeezing shut and a sharp groan choking in her throat as his fingers began to explore inside her anticipating channel.

"It is mutual." He assured, "You make such beautiful noises, Sookie." Eric nipped her throat a bit more aggressively than he had been, "And the way your body twists with just the right stroke of my fingers." He demonstrated these points by rotating his wrist, and rubbing the sensitive spot inside of her; causing her to arch her hips and let out a gasp of surprised bliss.

As his hand continued to concentrate on her womanhood, his free hand was unzipping her dress, unclasping her bra, and pushing the straps of her dress down her shoulders. The disrobing of his lover was slow and he enjoyed over second of it by planting soft kisses and gentle love bites along her skin as it was revealed to him.

When her body got in the way of taking anymore of her clothes off, Eric rolled the woman onto her stomach and finished removing her dress entirely before swiftly disrobing himself. As she lay on her stomach, completely nude, Eric draped himself across her back, leaving just enough of his weight on her for the young woman to feel him all down the length of her body.

"Embed this feeling in your memory, Sookie. Memorize the weight of my body against yours, the contours of my body and how it fits to you." Eric was murmuring against her ear in between loving nibbles, "I want it to be the most familiar sensation you have ever known..." One of his hands was gliding along the smooth expanse of her arm as the other held the majority of his body's weight from crushing Sookie beneath him.

"I've had your body memorized awhile now." She assured him in a soft, wanting voice.

Eric smiled against her ear, "I am glad to hear that."

"Do you know mine?" She asked.

"Yours is still changing, but I enjoy reacquainting myself every moment I can..." He answered, kissing down the back of her neck before allowing his tongue to snake down the length of her spine, leaving wet symbols along the way. When he reached her bottom, he gave one plump cheek a firm bite before kissing away the little hurt and doing the same to the other cheek.

Pushing Sookie's right leg up towards her body, Eric opened her womanhood to his exploring hands and mouth. The woman hummed low in her throat as his devilish tongue coordinated with his equally sinful fingers in a sensual dance against her flesh. As the oral ravishment drew her closer and closer to ecstasy, Sookie tried to pull away from his touch. "Ah, no, with me- I want you to come with me!" She moaned reaching back to encourage Eric to bring his body against hers once more.

In a slow, steady pressure, Eric glided his hands from her bottom to her shoulders, allowing his body to sidle up once more behind her. Sookie parted her legs awkwardly beneath him as an encouragement to enter her, but Eric took his time to rub against her- thoroughly infusing his scent with hers and vice versa.

"Eric, please." She moaned as he continued to hesitate. Before she could beg further, Eric was filling her in a long, deep stroke. A satisfied groan rattled through the young woman's throat as her plea was finally recognized. "Ah, yeah- mmmm..." Her fingers clenched into the bedding, holding them like a lifeline or anchor to reality while Eric's wandering hands and worshiping lips fanned the flame of her arousal, and his agonizingly slow thrusts caused her back to arch and twist painfully.

"Cross your ankles, Lover." Eric mumbled into her ear, groaning himself as she complied and she mewled at the new way she squeezed him. "Yes," he hissed into her ear, making her tremble and increase his pleasure further, "I did not know your pussy could feel any tighter."

Sookie gasped and moaned as he murmured and tickled her ear with his words. He knew how to speak to her, to increase the rush of fluids from her womanhood with just the delicate linking of words and just the right tone to maximize his effort.

"How tight can you get that little pussy, my Bonded?" He asked, biting down on her cartilage, and making her internal walls contract around his shaft. Eric groaned approvingly, "Oh, yes... Like that, Sookie." He gave her ear another nibble, earning the same result. With languid strokes, Eric bit down on her ear at different points, feeling her squeezing all along his length.

"Er-Eric, you're gonna make me come too soon i-if ya keep doin' that." Sookie groaned, her tiny hands fisting harder in the bedding.

"I will be right there with you, Sookie." Eric encouraged, bucking against her a little harder than before. His hands dove beneath her chests, pressed between her breasts and the mattress as he began playing with her nipples.

Pressing her forehead against the mattress, Sookie reached up to push her hands against the headboard to force herself back. The stabilizer made their combined thrusts harder, and soon the girl's clenching muscles needed no assistance from Eric's teeth on her ear or shoulder. As they came, one in a cry and the other in snarls of pleasure, Sookie welcomed the weight of her lover as he allowed himself to collapse part of his mass once more along her back.

The pair remained locked in that gravity provided embrace, Eric keeping just enough of his weight off of her so that her heaving chest had room to accommodate her post-orgasm panting. It was some time later when the vampire began to withdraw himself from her clutching nether lips, and heard a groan of objection at the loss from Sookie.

"We cannot remain like that all evening." He placed feather light kisses across her shoulders, "Godric is nearly here. It would be impolite not to greet him properly."

"I don't want you to go." She whispered, but he was more than aware that she was not referring to the loss of his cock from her body.

"I know, my Bonded." Eric turned her onto her back to gaze at her saddened eyes. He sighed regretfully, "I have never wanted to be the cause of your sadness." He kissed her lips now, tenderly.

"It's the situation that makes me sad, not you." She assured.

"I know this," he smiled at her, his lips still savoring the nearness of hers, "but if I were not in the position I am... If I were not Sheriff-"

"And if I weren't a natural witch, fairy princess, it'd be even less of a mess." She smirked, giving him her own gentle kiss. "But you are, and I am, so this is what we have to do... And I'm your Bonded, I'm your fiancée, and I shouldn't be so selfish by pushin' away your end of the Bond. It's like... Like I'm _rejecting you_... And for me, knowing a lifetime of rejection... I have no right to do that to the first person who accepted me, purposefully. Everyone in my life has been manipulated, and glamoured and... I will never know the truth of how anyone really felt about me. Even Jason's memories are screwed up. Of course, he's the only one that wasn't completely brainwashed by Niall and Compton, but he has no clue what he is, what I _really_ am. He may never know what I am." Sookie shook her head, "I feel so tired, Eric." She admitted finally.

"Fatigued, tired... Or tired of this life?" He asked carefully.

Sookie closed her eyes and smiled, "Fatigued. Despite all of the craziness, I could never be tired of the life I'm livin'. You make it worth livin' for years, centuries... Forever." Opening her eyes now, Sookie asked, "Drinkin' your blood as often as I'm suppose to, how long do you think I can stay like this?"

Eric was thoughtful a moment, "With your fairy spark, you could probably live a few centuries without my blood's assistance... Since there have not been documentations, or possibly not even occasions where a Fae was consuming vampire blood regularly- it is difficult to say. Maybe a few millenniums."

"Would I stay young, or grow old?" She asked next.

"It would take a few hundred years for you to appear closer to my age if you inherited the Faes' longevity."

"I want to live for a long time, but I want to become your Bonded Child before I start lookin' old. I want to be young and beautiful for you forever." She confessed.

Eric grinned down at her, "You will always be young and beautiful in my eyes."

"And if your ability to stay awake durin' the day goes away with my turnin'?" She asked.

"You have always been my sun, Sookie, and you will illuminate my evenings for the remainder of time." He breathed.

"_I am coming near, Sookie,"_ Godric's voice murmured softly in her head. _"Stay as you are. I will let myself in."_

Sookie smiled at Godric's thoughtfulness, "Godric just said to stay as we are. He'll be here soon, and says he'll let himself in."

Eric laughed softly, "My Maker is most generous."

**TBC**

**A/N- I HOPE THAT YOU ALL ENJOYED THE CHAPTER! PLEASE REMEMBER TO REVIEW!**

**-ANDI**


	16. Chapter 16

Keep Me

_A/N: Welcome back, Readers, to chapter sixteen of __Keep Me__! Chapter fifteen had a disappointing lack of reviews, so I am hoping that this new chapter inspires a little more feedback! Sadly, it is a short chapter, but the way seventeen is blocked, I needed to break it sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, we are catching up to what I have already written, so you may notice, or already noticed, that the quality of my editing has begun to slip. _

_If anyone is interested in becoming a __**beta**__ for me, I am definitely receptive. Any individual interested, please PM me, and do not forget to use spaces in e-mail addresses since has a habit of eliminating their appearances in Reviews and PMs. In a beta, I am searching for someone who not only has an eye for spelling and grammatical mistakes, but is familiar with the story and can point out continuity errors or plot holes. Though I have, from my knowledge, kept these issues at bay, another set of eyes would be wonderful. Also, if anyone out there has just as much free time as me, that would be good, too. I do not want my readers to lose their weekly updates, and I would be disappointed to deny them that because a beta has not returned the chapter to me. I hope that I am not asking too much! Oh! And if you have AIM that would be great as well!_

**_Perks: _**

**_*The beta will receive all of the upcoming chapters I have written._**

**_*They will (with the help of AIM) have creative input. (Though not necessarily utilized if it conflicts with the preconceived directions of the story)_**

**_*They will have the opportunity to get a preview of my up and coming story entitled _****_Trouble Maker._****_ (Also an Eric and Sookie fic)_**

**_Downsides:_**

**_*I require a commitment._**

**_*There are deadlines. (For me too!)_**

**_*I am wordy. (You will have to deal with this.)_**

_I hope someone is up for the challenge!_

_-Andi_

**Chapter Sixteen:**

Sookie stood anxiously in the garage as Eric threw a duffel bag into his Escalade. She knew he wanted to take his Corvette, but only left it behind because it was too showy and easily recognized. "Come here, Sookie." He gestured as the garage door opened and let sunlight into the gloomy area.

Smiling to herself, Sookie took his hand as they stepped into the sunlight, "I want to be able to clearly remember your face while I am away. Remember it in the sunlight." He said as his hands wove into her bright, blonde hair.

With that easy smile that belied the anxiety that shot throughout her entire body, Sookie reached up, playing with the ends of his hair, "The daytime really does suit you." She whispered.

Leaning down, Eric captured her lips in a long kiss. It was not until they heard Pam's gagging noise from just inside the house that they drew from each others' mouths.

"Check in?" Sookie asked shyly.

"You will be lucky if I am not talking to you the entire drive, and then the wait at the hotel." Eric smirked.

After another long kiss, Eric steeled his resolve and pulled away to get into the car. Sookie went to the doorway from the garage to the house and watched as Eric turned the engine over and began pulling out to the driveway. Every foot seemed to resound in her chest, like her heart was measuring every aching distance between her and the other half of her soul.

"Godric," Sookie choked when her Bonded was on the road and picking up speed, "I don't know if I can do this..."

A cool hand rested on her shoulder, and Sookie tensed instinctively, "Everything will be fine. You are both very strong and can endure this trial." Godric assured her.

"_Sookie,"_ Eric's voice was in her head and her heart gave a relieved lurch, _"__Breathe, Lover. I have been further from you on Sheriff's business."_

"_It's not the same."_ She protested.

"_No, but do not feel the distance. Just remind yourself that in less than 24 hours, I will be back in your arms."_ He encouraged.

"_Okay..."_ Sookie began walking towards her bedroom, secretly praying that she would sleep through the entire ordeal, but Pam stopped her before she could go into the pantry.

"Where do you think you are going?" Pam asked lightly.

"I just want to lie down and-"

"No." Pam said firmly, "Grab your text books. We are going to do your lessons like any other day."

"But-"

"No buts. You do not get a day off just because Eric is not here." Pam snapped back at Sookie's protest.

Gloomily, Sookie retrieved her study materials and met Pam in Eric's study. In all honesty, Pam's insistence was a waste of time. Her student could not concentrate at all, and Sookie was brushing away stray tears the entire time.

After an hour passed, and Sookie's internal odometer decided to send another stabbing anguish throughout her body, the young woman could hardly see through her tears.

"Forget it." Pam finally snapped, "You are impossible right now. Go occupy yourself elsewhere."

Rising from her station at Eric's desk, Sookie brushed away more of her tears as she left the study. Godric was sitting in the living room as she passed by to her way to the kitchen, and Eric's safe room.

"She does not understand." Godric called to her, drawing Sookie's attention to the living room. She came and sat across from her Bonded's Maker as he continued, "Eric has closed off her end of their connection. She cannot feel the pain that you or he feels."

"It hurts so much." Sookie sniffled, "And as much as I want to block what I feel from him, to cut this pain in half... I'd rather feel that closeness- even if it hurts this much."

"I know, Little Sookie." Godric smiled at her, trying to give her some of his strength, but knowing it could not reach her through the fog of her separation anxiety. "It is one of the sacrifices of your Bond. Your pain is incomprehensible."

"You can feel us, right?" She sat down next to him on the couch.

"Feel, yes, but I do not experience it the same way. It is like watching a play. You feel for the characters, but you do not face their pain first hand." Godric explained. "I wish I could. This love you have for one another is one of those historical romances... I thought it was a mythical one, but it is so much better, because it is real."

"What should I do?" Sookie asked.

"The audience cannot console your wounded heart. You and Eric are the only ones who can end the pain." He replied sadly.

"Eric doesn't call me "Little One" anymore." She said quietly, "Is that bad?"

Godric chuckled, "Quite the opposite. He does not see you as dependent on him any longer. That is not a bad thing. He is aware that you can take care of yourself, and that you are now his equal. When did he stop saying it?"

"A couple days after we Bonded."

"That sounds fitting." He nodded in agreement with his previous statement.

"I miss it."

"Why?"

Sookie shrugged, "I don't know. It's just what he's always called me. It's the first affectionate name I ever had... I mean, he's got a lot of endearin' names for me. But "little one" became "dear one" or "my Bonded"... I feel like I lost a part of him when he stopped calling me that."

"It was meant to be lost." Godric assured her, "Though it is a sweet endearment, it spoke volumes about your station at his side."

"How do you mean?"

"Him calling you that implied that you were at his side because you needed to be there. Calling you his dear one or his Bonded implies that you are at his side because _he_ needs you there."

"I'm so stupid." She buried her face in her hands, "I should have gone with him. I didn't have to go with him to meet the Queen. I could have stayed at a hotel or somethin'." She sobbed.

"No, Sookie. Niall can still find you with your brother's blood. He could possibly teleport on to this property, too, with that blood. Hence, why Eric asked that I remain with you. Although, that blood can only be used once, and I have my doubts that Niall would risk wasting it on getting to only you." Godric told her, "After Fintan's death, Niall would be extra cautious about taking you, and rather than stunning whomever you are with, he would most likely go for a kill shot. And though the Fae cannot kill a vampire with their magic alone- he could disable us long enough to stake us or behead us."

"Then why doesn't he attack at night?" Sookie asked, "When I'm away from the house? Why didn't he attack while we were in Dallas?"

"Fae are stronger in the day than at night. The sun boosts their magic. As for not being attacked in Dallas... You were at my residence during the daytime. I have the same wards as Eric on my property."

"Oh." She hugged herself tightly.

"Sookie... As soon as the sun sets- I will take us towards New Orleans. We will meet Eric halfway or sooner. This is torture on you both." Godric soothed.

"Why does my stupid life have to complicate everythin'? I should let Eric turn me. If I'm a vampire- Niall has no use for me. I can't give him an heir once I'm a vampire." Sookie croaked.

"Sookie." Godric's voice was stern, "Never allow fear to force your hand. You do not wish to become a vampire. Not yet, anyway. You have so much yet to experience as a human- as a Fae-"

"I DON'T WANT TO EXPERIENCE ANYTHIN' AS A FUCKIN' FAIRY!" Sookie cried out, making the light bulbs in the ceiling fan blow up.

"Shhh," he soothed, disregarding the glass all over the floor, "do not say that. I know that your history with the Fae is more than just turbulent. They have done nothing but cause you pain. But to reject them entirely is to reject part of yourself. Even death cannot change what you were born as."

"Godric," Sookie choked, "I... I need to sleep. I can't stay like this."

"Really?" Godric frowned, "Do you think another power is-"

"No. That was all the sudden. I didn't feel tired before I went into that power coma, or whatever you'd call it. I think it's the Bond. All of this emotion is exhaustin' me. Even last night I felt tired like this." She explained.

Smiling gently, Godric nodded, "Go take a nap."

Rising from the couch, Sookie finally made it to her bedroom she shared with Eric. He had kept saying that he would finally move their belongings to the actual master bedroom in the house, now that he did not need a safe room, but Sookie had felt too connected to this room. She had experienced too much in this room to leave it so abruptly. When they moved, she wondered how she would stand leaving it behind entirely.

Now, curled up in the blankets that smelled of them, Sookie sighed with a modicum of relief.

"_How are you holding up, My Bonded?"_ She could feel the desperation in his thoughts, and knowing that he hurt as badly as her had a strange comfort to it.

"_I miss you. Godric said he would begin driving me towards New Orleans as soon as the sun sets so we can be together as soon as possible, but once an attack from Niall was minimized."_ She offered.

"_That is a relief, Lover. I am fighting every fiber of my being to turn is the longest journey of my entire existence."_ He confessed.

"_I'm goin' to try and sleep. The tension of this is rippin' me apart."_ Sookie told him.

"_That is a good idea. Perhaps..."_

"_With my end of the Bond slowed down, it won't be so hard on you?"_ She knew he did not wish to admit it.

"_Regretfully- yes."_

"_I love you."_

"_And I love you, Dear One."_

Sookie felt a new sensation when he called her that. At last, understanding its meaning brought her a wonderful sensation of contentment. She fell into sleep quickly once those words were sent to her, holding those thoughts deep in her heart as she slept.

3

Awakening to a bright light in front of her eyelids, casting a red haze into her vision, Sookie stretched tiredly before falling on to the hard ground beside her bed.

"Ow!" She sat up, rubbing her side that she had fallen on.

It did not take her long to realize the uncomfortable familiarity of the room she was sitting in. The cold, laminate tile against her bottom, the white linen glaring sunlight at her from a window that should not be in Eric's safe room, the single bed that was barely large enough for her; let alone her Viking... And the thick bars on the window. It was more than just similar to the room she had lived in at the mental hospital. Somehow, it was... _Identical_.

"How... How did I get back here?" Sookie gasped, scuttling back, away from the bed and into the corner of the room, worrying the thin material of her patient green top between her confused fingertips.

"Oh, you finally woke up. It's about time!" Sookie looked to her left at the open door of her hospital room to see Pam in a set of paisley pink scrubs.

"Pam!" Sookie jumped to her feet, "What's goin' on? Why did you bring me here?" She demanded, not believing that Pam would be so cruel as to move her into such a room while she was sleeping. A prank was not beyond her alleged friend, but this went far past the point of an acceptable hijinks!

Pam's brow furrowed, "Sookie, you know that you had to be put in here after that last episode you had."

"What? What episode?" Sookie demanded, "What are you tryin' to pull? This is _not_ funny!"

With a sigh, Pam shook her head and offered the girl a small plastic cup with a pair of pills, "You missed your medication time. Here, take them now." She gently pushed the tiny container into Sookie's shaking fingers. Her gaze was patient, unlike any glare or leer the telepath had witnessed from the vampire before.

"Pam..." Sookie shook her head, "I can't believe you're doin' this to me. How could you think this would be even remotely funny? I thought we were friends now."

"Sookie," Pam patted her shoulder, not in the familiar condescending way she sometimes would, "I _am_ your friend. I'm trying to help you by giving you your medicine."

"Eric's not goin' to be happy when he finds out."

Sookie did not miss Pam's eyes rolling. Now _that_ was familiar, "Dr. Northman will definitely hear about it when he gets back from his conference in New Orleans."

"Conference? The meeting with the Queen was just suppose to be the two of them." Sookie frowned.

"Queen? _Oh_, the head of the board of directors. Dr. Le Clerq!" Pam smiled, "Yes, well, a few members of her _court_ will probably be there, too."

Gritting her teeth, Sookie ground out, "You're takin' this way too far." And she tried to stomp out of the room.

"Ah, ah ah!" Pam tsk'd, "You can go hang with Godric once you take your meds."

Jaw aching with how tightly her teeth were clenched, Sookie forced the clamped mouth to open and shot back the pills. Pam would not actually give her anything. They were probably sugar pills. Opening her mouth wide when she had swallowed them, Sookie let Pam see that they had been taken down, all the while unable to quell the nausea grew from the similarities to her former hospital.

"Okay, Godric's in the common room. Go on ahead." Pam smiled proudly.

Grumbling all the way down the hall, Sookie paused when she realized exactly where she was. This was the exact mental institution that she had grown up in. She knew its every hallway, and she navigated, without error, to the common room. Godric was sitting by a checker board, it was without its pieces, but he was pondering it as if a difficult game were being played.

"Hey, Little Sookie." Godric grinned at her once he had pantomimed the movement of his piece. "Want to play with me?"

"Uh, no." Sookie knew full well that Godric would never be a part of Pam's cruel joke, and his willingness to participate confused and angered her. "What is goin' on?" She asked desperately.

"Well, after you freaked out on Mr. Hale, the nurse gave you a sedative and Hale put you back in your room." Godric reminded her.

"M-Mr. Hale?" Sookie stammered, looking around and finding that no doppelganger of her Great Uncle was around.

"Yeah, the new orderly. He came to work here a few months after you first left." Godric informed her, "Have a seat." Sookie went to sit across from him, but Godric hissed, "That's Niall's seat!"

"Niall?" She was even more forlorn now.

"You are really weird today." Godric shook his head as Sookie took another nearby seat.

"_I'm the weird one_?" Sookie griped, watching him play invisible chess against "Niall", "So, who's winning?" She asked.

"Niall is not protecting his Queen at all. I hate when opponents do not protect their Queen. I have let him get away with putting her head on the chopping block without taking her. So far. He is quite crafty with his pawns, though. He keeps using them to block my best moves." Glancing up from his invisible game, he asked, "So, what are the voices saying today?"

Sookie frowned, "There's nobody here to hear."

Godric looked up from his chess game, eyebrows raised high, "Ummm," he gestured to all of the other patients that Sookie had not realized until just then. "Your story about hearing people's thoughts just went out the window." He chuckled.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Sookie began tapping her foot. She began remembering everything that had happened before she woke up here, and realized that it was no prank. It was a _dream_. Sweet relief flooded over her at the realization. Then came the issue of waking herself up. Usually when she realized she was dreaming, she would soon wake up. Only, now, the more she tried to convince herself that she was asleep- the more real and complete the dream became. The other patients' faces became more defined, and she realized that they were taking the forms of the few people she had met after living with Eric. The paint on the walls became more saturated with color, as well as the imperfections of those walls. Cracks where the wall joined the ceiling, marker stains where a patient had decided to be Picasso for the day, a few dents where someone had lost their temper and put the fist to it...

The finite details of the walls, the characters that were the patients and staff, and worst of all- the old, familiar feeling of six years of her life. Only, now, she did not have her telepathy. It was more bearable than having to see the disturbing thoughts of the other patients, but the loss of her gift was making her jumpy, even paranoid. This would not help her convince anyone that she was perfectly normal.

"Godric," Sookie turned to him- perhaps dream Godric was just as wise and helpful as real Godric, "my telepathy isn't workin' anymore." She admitted.

"Of course not. You took your meds." Godric shrugged, "You only ended back in here because you stopped taking them when you were released."

"I was away from here?" Sookie's eyes went wide, as if this were evidence that everything was a dream. She quickly remembered Godric's allusion to her leaving, and pressed him for details.

"Yeah. You turned 18 and were no longer subject to your parents' commitment." He reminded her, "You were gone a few months, and then you were brought back just the other night because you'd gone off of your meds and were starting to claim that vampires had taken you in and began teaching you a whole bunch of stuff."

Sookie took a long, slow breath, preventing herself from claiming it was true, "Okay... But, how did I learn to read then if I wasn't really gone?" She demanded.

"You can read now?" Godric looked up at her in surprise and a bit of pride, "Go grab a book! I want to hear you read to me!" His eyes lit up at the idea.

"Oh... Okay..." Sookie stood up and went to the communal bookshelf and grabbed a book at random. Coming back to her chair, she cracked it open and balked. Chinese. It had to be in Chinese or some foreign alphabet.

Godric seemed to deflate at her hesitation, "So, you didn't actually learn how to read." He sounded disappointed in her. "You did not have to lie about it. I would still like you still."

"No! I totally did learn!" She cried out, turning the book towards him, "Look, it's not even in English- See!?"

"Sookie, it's The Hardy Boys. It's in English." He gave her a condescending glance.

Clenching her teeth, Sookie snapped the book shut and threw it to the ground as she stood, "You're not Godric!" She yelled, "Godric would never have looked at me like that!"

"Shh, Sookie. They are going to sedate you again if you make another scene!" Godric hissed, grabbing for her arm to pull her back into the chair.

"I don't even care!" She yelled, stomping her foot childishly, "Let them pump me up with all the drugs they want! Maybe if I fall asleep in this world I'll wake up in the right one again!"

"Sookie?" Pam's voice made the girl turn around, "Everything okay?" Her eyes were concerned as she slowly approached the distressed girl.

"NO!" She yelled, "Nothin' is okay! I want Eric! Let me see him!"

Pam sighed, "I told you. He's in New Orleans until tomorrow. You'll have to wait."

"I DON'T WANT TO WAIT! I WANT HIM _NOW_**!**" She screamed as loud and with as much determination as she could muster.

"**Sookie**," Pam was inching towards her tentatively, and Sookie saw the all too familiar move the nurses made when they were cueing an orderly to restrain a patient, "just-"

"No." Sookie shook her head, raising her hands in defeat, "You don't gotta make them hold me down. If ya wanna gimme a sedative then just give it to me. I don't feel like gettin' slammed around in a dream. My head can't take it." She held out her arm instead, offering it for a needle, "So, stick me and get it over with."

Godric was watching in bewilderment at the scene. It was not like Sookie to offer an arm. Normally she would cry and beg for anything but a needle. Sometimes she would bargain to just be put alone in her room. But she would never offer to be sedated. She was always scared to sleep when others were awake. The girl claimed the other patients' minds gave her bad dreams if they were awake and she was asleep.

"You really think you'll **wake up** in your **dream** world, don't you?" Godric whispered sadly. He seemed to sympathize with her delusional world.

"I have to." Sookie shrugged as she looked down at Godric, "I'd rather be in the drugged haze of my fantasy than accept that this is my life. My Eric can't not be real. My Pam. My Godric... They can't not exist."

While her head was turned, Pam took her arm carefully and pumped in another sedative before leading her to a chair to sit in.

"Mr. Hale will **come** with a wheelchair and take you **back** to your room." Pam smiled comfortingly, patting Sookie's hand as they waited.

"H-Hale?" Sookie stammered, feeling the effects of the sedative already. Her blurring eyes rolled across the room to find an older man pushing a chair towards her.

Bartlett Hale.

"Noooooo... No no." Sookie shook her head weakly, "Not him. I don't wanna go with him. Pam, please, you instead. Please, you instead." She began to sob, holding Pam's wrist as hard as her tired hands could. "Don't leave him alone with me." She begged.

"**I'm here**, I'll walk with you two back to your room." Pam smiled comfortingly, unlacing Sookie's fingers from her arm.

Sookie sobbed harder as Hale's arms wrapped around her body and placed her in the chair. For months she had known he could never lay a hand on her again, but here he was, touching her once more. She cringed as he patted her shoulder as they went down the hallway. But Pam held her hand the entire way... Her hands were so cold...

Another bout with Hale's arms around her, lifting her now into her bed.

"You can go, Mr. Hale. I think Sookie needs me a while longer." Pam dismissed him as she took Sookie's hand once more, "I know it hurts to be back here, Sookie." She patted the hand she held, "But **everything's okay**. **You'll see Eric soon**. I went ahead and called him down in New Orleans and he decided to come back up early." A sad smile cracked Pam's formerly stern mouth, "You were always his favorite patient. He saw so much promise in you."

"I want to go back." Sookie cried, the sedative that much stronger- carrying her into an abyss that she feared and longed for at the same time. "I want my Eric and Pam and Godric back." She sniffled.

"**We **_**are**_** here, Sookie. We're all here.**" Pam assured her, "Now, get some rest. When you wake up, hopefully Dr. Northman will be back, and you will feel much better."

Darkness, her dream was absolute darkness, but a warm glow was swelling in her chest. Looking down at her bosom, Sookie saw a red light, so deep that it almost blended into the blackness all about her. That gentle glow grew and grew, it began to pulse, and then shot from her chest in a beam through the shadows. A searchlight for the other half of her heart. Slowly, Sookie followed the thrumming stream of crimson. As she walked, she could see a light in the distance. She began to run. Her feet could not move fast enough, the growing light in the distance making her heart leap with relief, and then-

"_Stop! Not yet! Come back!"_ Sookie froze. Not daring to turn her eyes away from the finish line, she kept them trained on the light, but stopped to listen. _"You have to do this __**first**__!" _Her jaw tensed as she recognized the voice. It was her own. _"He will bring you back. Don't go yet. Finish what you have to first."_

The light that was pulsing from her body began to vibrate insistently, pleadingly. As she turned from it, a part of her soul felt like it was tearing in half, and tears flowed from her eyes as she turned her back to the sunlight that had been so close.

Crying, Sookie trudged back into the darkness, and when she looked behind her again to see if the beacon to freedom was still burning the way, Sookie found nothing but that darkness all around once more. Shutting her eyes, accepting the continued darkness they brought, Sookie let out a scream of despair that the emptiness happily swallowed.

A part of her mind felt as though it fractured as she let the shadows swallow her back up. Her heart broke a million times over as a shot of disbelief and pain rattled through her entire body. It was Eric. Eric knew that she had been close to him, close to returning to him... And she had turned her back on him and retreated once more into the caverns of her mind. She prayed as hard as she could that he would forgive her.

When her eyes opened once again, she found herself screaming into a gnarled hand. Bartlett was atop of her, straddling her hips as his free hand was yanking up her hospital smock and tearing it in the process.

Sookie's heart raced as she realized that he had bound her to the bed with the available restraints. As a last ditch effort she tried bucking her hips to throw him off, or at least get his hand from her mouth. It was useless, here merely laughed and said, "Someone's eager!"

Fear was quickly taking the back burner in Sookie's mind. Now, rage was growing, and days and days of Eric's self defense training raced through her mind as Bartlett groped at her exposed breasts, squeezing them delightedly as she strained against her bindings.

Flexing her arms as hard as she could, Sookie curled her legs upward, and with a jerking motion, managed to push Bartlett forward enough to curl her spin. Getting her ankles crossed in front of his neck, the girl arched her spine painfully and yanked her legs back down. She could hear a satisfying ***POP* **as the old man's body could not handle the force that his body was buckled backwards. Tensing her legs as tight as she could, feeling the pull in her groin muscles as she strangled him with her legs, Sookie remained in that position long after she felt him stop struggling. She kept strangling him until she was certain he was dead.

After another ragged breath dragged into her lungs, Sookie's legs finally relaxed. She remained frozen there for a time.

Unable to fight the adrenaline in her body, or just incapable of forgetting the feeling of Hale's mouth and hands on her skin, Sookie screamed with the voice of relief and disgust. She sobbed for a moment before, weakly pulling against the restraints once more. Her shaking body was still struggling against the leather straps when Pam came flying into her room, panting.

"What the _fuck_?" Pam yelled. "SOOKIE!" She ran to the girl's bed, quickly undoing the bindings and shoving Bartlett to the floor in a boneless heap. "What happened? Are you all right?" She turned away for a second to scream, "CALL DR. NORTHMAN NOW!" Then she looked back at the shaking blonde, "What happened? Are you okay?" She repeated.

"I opened my eyes and he was on top of me." Sookie sobbed, "I got my legs up and ankles around his neck and strangled him... I-"

"Shhh, Sookie." Pam soothed, having freed the girl, "It's okay. **You're going to be okay! It's over! You did what you needed to do!**"

"What's going on in here?" Godric came running into the room next.

"Godric! How did you get out of your room!?" Pam snapped.

"None of you have ever been able to keep me anywhere." Godric answered plainly, "**Sookie, it is okay. Eric is right here. You will be with him any second now.**"

"**Sookie. Sookie!"** The girl looked up to see her Bonded standing in the doorway. His face was tight with concern, his jaw clenched with some angry emotion. **"****I got her. **Get that trash out of here. **Sookie, I am going to give you **this.**Drink as much as you need.**" Eric sidled up behind her, bringing something to her lips that was cool and intoxicating. Her body relaxed into him, his chest molding into her back with such calming familiarity that the girl felt complete at last. Her dream was finally mimicking the reality she had come to find. **"****Sookie, please wake up. I need you to come back to me..."**

**TBC**

**REMEMBER TO REVIEW, PLEASE!**

**-ANDI**


	17. Chapter 17

Keep Me:

_A/N: Welcome, Readers, to chapter seventeen of __Keep Me__! I would like to thank all of you that private messaged me over the week, offering to become my beta! I would like to inform everyone that NerdyGirl1588 has taken on this role, and would like to thank her for the continuous help she's been so far. Unfortunately, I have been losing my lead on chapters, and we are quickly encroaching on what is already prepared! I will have to work hard to stay ahead, but I do wish to give you all a heads up that our every Tuesday updates might be coming to an end. Of course you will all be made aware ahead of time, and you can expect chapter eighteen next week, but I would rather give you all thought out, plot developing chapters, rather than filler or just plain garbage. Hopefully my muse will return and I will be invigorated with new motivation soon!_

_-Andi_

**Chapter Seventeen:**

"Welcome back, My Bonded." Sookie heard as her eyelids fluttered open. She found the bleeding arm she had been nursing on was still hovering in front of her mouth, even as it began to heal. "Are you all right?" Eric asked.

"Y-yeah... What happened? I was dreamin'... Back in the hospital... Y'all weren't vampires..." She mumbled incoherently as she looked around to find herself in the back of the Escalade. Pam was driving and Godric was craned around the front seat staring at her.

"An hour or so after you fell asleep, you began having a nightmare." Godric began explaining. "We knew it was not a... What did you call it? Power coma?" He smiled at her, "Because we could still feel you. You were projecting your dreams to us. We tried sending to you, too, but only parts of our messages were getting through. Your mind managed to meld them into conversations you were having with us in your dream."

"You could see it all?" She asked, still groggy.

"For the most part. However, our concerns over being unable to wake you outweighed our concentration on what you were dreaming. And then there was the affect you were having on..." Godric paused briefly before finishing, "Eric..." He looked at his Child.

"Your fear and anxiety were too much for me." Eric continued where his Maker had trailed off. "Pam rented a vehicle and sped off to meet me down here mid afternoon, and Godric took you and flew off towards me as fast as he could once the sun set." Eric murmured softly, in deference to her tired confusion.

"Have ya seen the Queen yet?" She mumbled, turning her face into Eric's chest as she shut her eyes once more.

"Not yet." He smoothed her hair gently, basking in the calm of being once more in her presence.

"You're gonna have to leave me again, then?" She whispered.

"Yes, but only for a little while." He promised. "Pam wishes to take you shopping since we are in New Orleans. Would that be an enjoyable distraction?"

"For me or for Pam?" Sookie asked with a teasing tone.

"For you." He smiled, turning her so that he could look down at her face, "Are you sure that you are all right?"

"Yes." She nodded, "I feel really weird. Parts of that dream seemed so... Useful."

"How so?" Godric asked from the front.

Sookie thought for a moment, "Like your invisible chess game with invisible Niall." Sookie told him, "I guess since I don't exactly know what Niall looks like- he was invisible. Of course it went with the fact that you were a patient too..."

"I was a mental patient in the hospital?" Godric sounded amused.

"Uh-huh," Sookie nodded, "and you were sittin' at a chess board with no pieces, and you wouldn't let me sit across from you because you said it was Niall's seat." She explained, "You said that you didn't like the way Niall was playin' because he kept puttin' his Queen in danger, and you don't like players that don't respect their Queen. You also said that he kept usin' his pawns real well and kept blockin' you at every turn with them."

"That sounds about right for my opinion of Niall's usual strategizing. He has no respect for any of the pieces in his game. He is the King, and feels that he is the only piece that needs to be protected or used with deep consideration of its welfare." Godric frowned, "He uses his pieces well, to an extent, but his overall disregard for who is taken is not how one should strategize."

"But I thought the King was the only piece that mattered..." Sookie pressed.

"All pieces matter." Eric smiled down at her patiently, "Even the most expendable ones. There are times when sacrifices need to be made, but those sacrifices need to be calculated. Niall knows that he has an endless supply of pawns and treats them as such. He has never had to play a Queen, though. He has no idea how to protect her or just how valuable she is."

Sookie giggled, "You're talkin' about me now, aren't you?" She stroked his cheek gently.

"Of course." He leaned down to kiss her lips, and he sighed as he pulled away, "What were we thinking?" Eric asked in a voice that was somehow both sad and amused.

"I think," Sookie began slowly, carefully, "that you wanted to see just how well you could do without me."

"Sookie-"

"Because you have to know. You're pragmatic like that. You needed to know the distance you could put between us before it was unbearable. Knowin' you, probably because you wanted to know the distance you could keep me from you if there was danger." She was smiling at him, silently assuring him with her eyes that she did not have any anger for him.

"I do not believe that I deserve your understanding most days." Eric smiled back at her before kissing her crown and murmuring, "Though I am grateful for that understanding, I am unworthy of having it."

Smirking at him, Sookie poked his chest gently before confessing, "I give you my understandin' in exchange for your patience."

Eric shook his head with amusement as he glanced up at the dashboard clock and sighed, "I will need to head towards my meeting place soon." Looking back down at Sookie, he asked, "Will you be all right?"

"Yes. I'll be just fine now." She promised. "I'll go shoppin' with Pam, and have a good time."

It was not difficult to feel Sookie's desperate scrambling to resolve herself to be parted from him again. As a matter of fact, Eric found himself doing the exact same thing. With a clenching of his arms around her he murmured, "I will make this meeting as brief as possible. Perhaps Sophie-Anne will be able to assist in the matters involving Niall, and we can end this insanity soon."

Sookie nodded in agreement, snuggling her head harder against his chest, "Just hold me tight until you have to go." She requested.

"Drive slowly, Pam." Eric called to the younger vampire.

"Yes, Master."

The ride was entirely silent. The Bonded couple clinging to one another as the other two members of the bloodline left them in peace. Godric was relieved to feel his Child leveling back out. He would never mention it, but feeling Eric in such distress had hurt him worse than he thought possible. Though Godric had been concerned for Sookie and the circumstances that kept them from waking her, the ancient vampire had difficulty focusing on her torment with his progeny in so much mental anguish.

Pam, who was luckily blocked from Eric's side of their bond, had been the one to be focused on the dream her telepathic friend had been having. She had witnessed it from beginning to end, and had to admit that she was particularly pissed off when Sookie had the chance to wake up and backed off instead. The fact that the young woman had intentionally kept herself under the influence of that dream like state had been more than frustrating.

What right did Sookie have to prolong her and Godric's worry? What right did Sookie have to torture her own Bonded with the fear and anxiety she was certain the telepath had been sending Eric? When Sookie's dream continued and the young woman _finally_had the opportunity to fight off her Great Uncle, Pam understood. Despite everything Sookie had claimed about her gratefulness that Eric had taken care of in that matter, Pam now knew that a part of the girl_needed_to finally fight him off. Even if it was only in a dream.

Perhaps it was the separation sickness, or maybe it was just opportunity, but whatever had spurred the dream Sookie had succumbed to Pam hoped that it would give the young girl the strength she needed. The power her life with them would demand.

"Master," Pam rolled to a gentle stop, "we are a short distance from the meeting place."

"I will continue from here alone." Eric sighed, untangling his body from his Bonded, "Sookie, will you-"

"Yes, I'll be fine." Sookie smiled at him, "I'll see you again shortly." She leaned forward to offer him one last kiss before he departed, "I love you." She murmured before his lips met hers.

As Eric pulled away after giving Sookie a long, deep kiss, he whispered back, "I love you, too," and then was moving away from the vehicle at a fast, passing for human, pace.

The back door of the Escalade was closed by Godric as the ancient vampire came to sit in the back with Sookie.

Walking down the street briskly, Eric ran his hand through his hair. He could feel a blossoming sadness in the Bond and it took him a moment to realize that the sadness was his own. Pushing it down, he instead focused on sending Love and Encouragement to Sookie. Distracting himself from his anxiousness by assuaging hers.

It was a twenty minute walk at human speed to the back alley where he was meeting Sophie-Anne. He was not surprised to find himself the first that arrived. Taking out his cell phone, he hit speed dial and before the recipient of his call could say anything, he murmured in a low voice, "4-7-Q-S-R." The other line hung up and Eric snapped his cell phone shut in his pocket.

In the remaining time that he was alone, he felt a flare of fear coming from Sookie, but it quickly abated. Smiling to himself, he figured Pam had traumatized his Bonded with her less than considerate driving techniques. After entertaining that thought for a short time, Eric went back to his tedious loitering. However, the Queen only had him waiting another ten minutes, and he bowed his head respectfully as she approached.

"My Queen." Eric greeted.

"Sheriff." Sophie-Anne nodded, "What is the news?"

"Plentiful." He sighed, "I will begin with why my existence was threatened. I regret to inform you that your favored Child has been making unfavorable dealings. André has been in contact with Niall Brigant." Eric did not miss Sophie-Anne's tensing frame. "With the help of André and William Compton, Niall has managed to position himself into a potential arrangement for vampire soldiers to fight in the Elfyrian civil war. In his eyes, the only things standing in his way are you and I." The Queen's jaw tightened now. "Fortunately, he does not know the enemy he has made of his own blood."

"Fintan?" She guessed.

"Is dead."

"_Really_? How did this come about?" Sophie-Anne asked.

Eric crossed his arms over his chest, "A few months ago I came upon a young woman. She is the reason I continue to exist. She spared my existence by slaying a Were that had been hired to end me. She is now my Bonded, and, by blood, Niall Brigants Great granddaughter." Sophie-Anne growled, "Her loyalty is mine, entirely."

"How can you know this? The Fae are tricky creatures without an ounce of loyalty!" Sophie-Anne snarled.

"My Bonded is also a Natural Witch." Eric continued, "She has a few very useful powers, and maybe more in time. She is the one responsible for Fintan's death. She is also responsible for the final death of William Compton." Sophie-Anne's eyes widened, "He attempted to glamour her and then touched my Bonded knowing she was my other half." The Queen nodded in understanding, "Sookie's final goal is to have Niall's head. Niall took everything from her from the very beginning of her short life. He not only took her family, but he denied her any affection from her family. He, with the help of Compton's glamour, made them hate her, fear her. She wishes to avenge her forsaken life."

Sophie-Anne was quiet a moment before asking, "And how does André play in this?" She asked.

"He is the one that sent an assassin after me to put Compton in my place. He wanted Compton there to procure Sookie so that he could take Sookie as his mate and future Queen once Niall had you assassinated. Niall planned on using Sookie as a broodmare to produce an heir for Elfyria. With Sookie as a vampire royal's queen, and her child as the ruler of Elfyria; they would have a long truce." Eric told her.

"Sounds like Niall is trying for supernatural peace." Sophie-Anne smirked.

"I am a warrior, I do not enjoy peace all that much." Eric smirked right back, "And I would never approve of a peaceful world built on the despair and destruction of a woman like my Bonded."

"Sounds like you're going soft, Viking." She goaded.

"Nothing is "soft" where Sookie is involved." Sophie-Anne smiled devilishly at Eric's declaration, "How do you wish to proceed?"

"Perhaps I should meet your Bonded. I am curious about these gifts you claim she has." Eric could see the wheels grinding behind Sophie-Anne's eyes.

"That is not safe. The Fae can track their blood. If you are near Sookie, you give Niall an opportunity to take you."

Sophie-Anne laughed, "You think that fairy fuck would attempt to take me himself? True, he is great at magic, but never so bold as to risk his safety."

"He is growing desperate." Eric tried to explain, "There is no telling to what lengths he will go to make André king."

"Yes... André." Sophie-Anne became thoughtful, "What to do about André..." Eric could see more than a little hurt in her expression, "I cannot believe my favored Child..."

"Many stronger than he have succumbed to the temptations of a Fae." Eric tried to sound reassuring.

"I always thought that he loved me above all else. He has risked his existence so often in defense of my own." Sophie-Anne continued. "All of my Children have loved me unconditionally. What could have possibly changed all of that?"

"My Queen-"

"I will use my Maker's command to garner the truth from him, and then, if what you have said is true... You will give him his final death." She let out an unneeded breath at that decision, "However, if I find that you have lied to me, that your known contempt for him has lead you to slander his loyalty; you can guarantee that I will subdue you in silver and you can enjoy watching as I end _your_Child and destroy your Bonded before your very eyes!" She shouted that last part.

Eric's rage flared so quickly that he was in the Queen's face, snarling, "If you threaten my blood and Bonded so blatantly again,_I _will be the next King of Louisiana!" Sophie-Anne's startling was so acute that her eyes rounded like a doe in the beams of an oncoming car. She actually began breathing quickly in surprise. "You can threaten my limbs and existence, but the moment you threaten my blood you mark yourself my enemy. Do you wish to be the enemy of the Ghal line?" He demanded.

"N-no, Northman." Sophie-Anne panicked.

"My_Bonded_has destroyed Weres, Vampires, and Fae without preamble or hesitation. Who do you think you will take from me? Who do you think you_could_take from me?"

"I'm sorry, Northman!" She cried out in alarm. No guards flanked her, no Child was available to sacrifice themselves for her. "You have always been loyal to my crown, and had you wished to wear it, you would take it. As André's Maker, it is I who should pay the penalties he has incurred. I will use my Maker's command to get the absolute truth and extent of his plans for you, so that you may use them against Niall. Then, you will have his existence in your hands to dispose of as you wish!"

Eric made a space between them once more and crossed his arms over his chest again, "It will be public and Sookie will destroy him so that all of your kingdom knows that my Bonded is not to be trifled with. For it is not my wrath alone they need fear if they threaten her."

"Yes, Northman." Sophie-Anne nodded, quick to agree to any conditions he wished at that moment.

"Dana will be your second in command once you have subdued your Child. She is more loyal to you than you know, and her Maker is in my pocket. She will serve you well." Eric told her. "You will have time with your Child even after he has made his confessions. Sookie cannot risk being near you until Niall is neutralized. Enjoy your remaining time with him."

Sophie-Anne nodded numbly as Eric turned away from her, "Northman," she called, waiting for the warrior to turn, "why did you never take control of my kingdom?"

"I have never desired a headache." He sighed and left without another word to the Queen.

3

"Stop the car..." Sookie breathed suddenly as Pam zoomed down the streets of New Orleans, "PAM! Stop the car!" She cried, lurching violently as the vampire slammed on the breaks.

"Sookie, what is-"

The woman was yanking her seat belt off and grasping for the door as Godric tried to find out what had suddenly come over her. Through Eric, he could feel fear, curiosity, and maybe even a little elation.

"Godric, hurry!" Sookie shouted as she jumped from the vehicle and into the street, disregarding oncoming traffic and the few pedestrians that stopped to watch the curious scene. Cars were honking as the large Escalade blocked their progress down the street, which only forced Pam to wave her middle finger out the window at them before parallel parking a little ways down the road.

Sookie was dashing down the sidewalk, looking for the golden mind that had taunted her as they had passed.

"Sookie, what's going on?" Godric asked as they were running side by side now.

"Someone called for me." This mind was silent, not like a vampire's void that was thickly layered in magic and mystery that she could yank off with enough intent. It was not fast and violent like a Were's red snarls, or hushed and all scent and sound like a Shifter's scarlet growls either. Just golden and amusedly teasing her as it asked, "_Can you find me?"_

The telepath's immediate thought was, "_YES I CAN!_"

The golden mind was now stationary, and lead Sookie and Godric down one of the access alleys a few blocks from the street she had started from.

"Hello?" She called down the dark passage, Godric taking her hand firmly, prepared to pull her from danger, "Did you call me?" Sookie asked carefully amping up some internal fear. If this was a trap, she assured that her ensnarer would not last long enough to regret laying it.

"Yes, I did." An old woman stepped from the shadows, her dark skin and whitening hair somehow appearing from the deep recesses of the alley like a mist dispersing about a tentative figure in the woods. Godric pulled Sookie slightly behind him as she continued, "Even before Ludwig called me, I knew that you would be coming. She said she would like me to meet you. I told her not to worry, that you would come to me."

"You're a witch?" Sookie asked tentatively.

"I am Octavia Fant." The old woman inclined her head and Sookie let out a sigh of ease when Godric relaxed, "And you are Sookie Stackhouse." Sookie nodded even though Octavia had not stated this as a question, merely a claim that she was more than aware of what was going on, "And Ludwig wanted me to teach you about being a Witch." Sookie nodded again, "You don't believe in Gods and Goddesses." Sookie's mouth clenched, "Because they never watched over you. You prayed nightly, daily to any deity that would listen and all you were given was more pain. You begged Artemis, and you took comfort in Apollo's embrace, but they did not spare you all the tragedies you had to overcome."

"You're talkin' about when I used to talk to the moon and sit in the sunlight, aren't you?" Sookie's entire face frowned, "How do you know about that?"

"I read it in the cards." Octavia answered, "The past is always much clearer to see than the future because it already is what it is. The future is ever changing." The old woman let out a long sigh, "I don't know that I would be a strong enough witch to train you. You are already familiar with your gifts and use them well. There is a chance that you might have progressed beyond my capabilities to help you already. The blood in your body made the basics all the more easy to master." Octavia nodded her head contemplatively, "But then, you are all willpower, not mental strength."

"What do you mean by that?" Sookie growled.

"I mean that you have come to manage your gifts by sheer determination, not by familiarity and practice. You still cannot hear vampires, correct?" Octavia asked.

"I have once, but it caused a lot of backlash, and it's really obvious if I do it."

"Then I will teach you to use it properly." Octavia turned to leave.

"When!?" Sookie called after the woman even after the shadows swallowed her back up.

"When I come to set wards on your new home!" Octavia called back from the darkness.

Godric finally released Sookie's hand when the woman had left them. "That was dangerous for you to do, Sookie." He told her quietly.

"I know, but... Somehow, I knew I was meant to." She answered.

The vampire nodded, "At least you had sense enough to bring me."

Sookie smirked, "She could block her thoughts. I wasn't about to risk it."

He nodded again, "We should get back to Pam. I am certain that she is curious as to our sudden desire to jog."

The telepath laughed as they walked back to where they had abandoned their third member of the group. When they climbed back into the car, Pam craned around her seat to glare at them, "_Well_?" She asked with a hiss.

Godric quickly explained the impromptu meeting with Octavia Fant and the Witch's future role as Sookie's mentor.

"Hmm," Pam was thoughtful as she drove through the streets of New Orleans, "at least you had enough sense not to run off like an imbecile and get yourself killed." Sookie shook her head with a small smile, amused at Pam's way of showing that she cared. "By the way," Pam continued, "I heard of a clothing shop on the French Quarter that I want to take you to."

Sookie rolled her eyes, "Wow, Pam knowin' about a clothing store. How did I not see that one comin'?" Godric chuckled at the telepath's sarcasm.

"I think the clothing there will suite you. It is a bit retro. A lot of 40's and 50's style clothing that I think will look good on you. The dresses in particular, actually. And the style take away from that era will accentuate your body while maintaining a level of modesty that Eric would approve of his Bonded wearing." She explained.

Sookie let out a resigning sigh. She needed to stop letting Pam manipulate her into doing things by throwing Eric's name into the persuasions. But Pam had been with Eric for almost two hundred years and Sookie could not deny that she was perfectly aware of his personal tastes in clothing and other such

things.

When they arrived at Pam's suggested shop, Sookie had to admit that the clothing was quite to her taste as well. It made some girly part inside of her elated to learn that she would enjoy wearing things that Eric would be just as thrilled to see her in.

After nearly an hour of trying on clothing, Sookie came out in a white dress with red flowers printed on it. The neckline was similar to a sweetheart, but came about her neck like a halter would. As she gave a spin for Godric and Pam, she heard a familiar wolf whistle and beamed at the arrival of her Bonded.

Forgetting her showcasing, Sookie ran towards Eric, leaping into his arms happily, "Did everything go well?" She asked.

Eric's expression was lacking and Sookie slid down from his embrace, her mind preparing for the worst.

"We will discuss it later." Eric whispered, "Right now... That _dress_!" He leaned down and captured her lips heatedly, his hands at her hips, tugging her closer to his body in a suggestive way that did not escape his lover. "Go back into the dressing room. I will follow shortly. Leave the dress on."

Sookie bit her lip, not even trying to suppress the blooming blush of excitement on her cheeks. Quickly, she spun on her toe and briskly walked back into her dressing room stall.

"You might want to find another of that dress in her size." Eric suggested to Pam as he walked to the stall as well. Pam grinned wickedly and went to do as was recommended.

Opening the door, which had been left slightly ajar, Eric was graced with the sight of his Bonded leaning with her back against the wall, still nibbling her bottom lip with anticipation. Slipping past the door, Eric shut it gently behind him and gave the wall behind her back a tentative pressing.

"It would never hold up." He frowned when he pressed just slightly harder and heard the plaster groan. Sookie pouted at his observation, "Oh, we are still going to fuck in this booth, Lover, just not against the wall." He assured. "That dress you are wearing will not permit me to purchase it before properly defiling you in it." The woman giggled at his remark as she closed the space between them and placed a well learned hand over his growing bulge. The vampire hissed at her firm grip, rocking his hips gently into her fist.

The sight of Sookie dropping to her knees caused her Bonded to place a steadying hand on the dressing room wall. He had never been more weakened in the knees than when he felt, and watched, his woman so eager to please him. Many women before her had done so with enthusiasm, but it was with an eagerness for his reciprocation, not enjoyment of the actual act of satisfying him. As Sookie opened his trousers, she licked her lips in anticipation, her breathing becoming labored from excitement. When his member sprung free from the confines of his pants, his Bonded's mouth rounded in an inviting "O" as she engulfed him with a practiced ease. Her tongue, lips, teeth, and hands exerted loving caresses, and they earned every choked murmur and unneeded gasp that they drew from Eric's throat.

Soon, Eric was beckoning Sookie up from the floor, and turning her to face away from him. She giggled as he gave her bottom a firm squeeze as he dropped to his own knees. The back of her skirt was gathered up above her round cheeks, and she bent forward slightly to jut her sex at his face invitingly as his fingers dragged her panties down to bunch at her ankles.

"Mmm, this pussy looks hungry, Lover." Eric growled as he spread her thighs apart to get a better view. His free hand rubbed the wet gash before allowing three of his fingers to slip right into the hot channel, "It swallowed those fingers right up, and it still wants more." He gave her right cheek a hard bite and reveled at the fresh saturation of her honey that the action brought. "Do you want to devour my cock with that hungry little pussy, Lover?" He rumbled against her thigh as he brought his dripping fingers to his mouth to clean.

"Ah, yeah, gimme your cock, Eric." She moaned softly as her bottom involuntarily wriggled against his face. The vampire quickly kicked one of his legs free from his pants and stood up behind the shivering girl.

Planting his foot on the low ledge of the dressing room, Eric hooked Sookie's leg over his thigh, effectively putting the girl on the very tip of her toes. She bit her lip uncomfortably at the position, but Eric was soon supporting her weight, and lifted her the remaining distance off of the ground. Gathering the front of her skirt up, he put the material in her hands, "Hold your skirts up, Lover, I want to watch your greedy pussy using my cock." He was biting her neck with his blunt teeth as she took her skirts into her hands. Hand now free, Eric used it to rub the head of his shaft against her wet folds before lining up to thrust upwards.

Sookie choked on a breath as his powerful collision knocked the air from her lungs, "Look, Lover." Eric growled in her ear, "Look at your body taking in all of me so easily." She looked into the mirror, watching his shaft disappearing into the embrace of her body and then reappearing with a smooth motion of his hips. Next, she was witnessing her Bonded reaching between her thighs to play with that pleasure point right above where his cock was sliding inside of her. His hand was quick and merciless in satisfying her. The sounds of their skin mashing together, the deep growling voice in her ear, the sensations, and now the visual stimulus of watching Eric fucking her sent Sookie tumbling into a climax before she had time to begin enjoying this new embellishment to her sexual experiences. "Mmm, I love how you come so easily. How many times can I make you come before a sales woman attempts to check on you?" He playfully questioned her. Sucking on her shoulder until he could taste the blood vessels under her skin popping, Eric took his hand from between her thighs and brought it to the neckline of her dress, "Let's see those beautiful titties bouncing around this time." He requested. He ripped the front of the dress open without further delay. Sookie let out an impassioned groan at the display of impatient strength. That same hand was now palming one of her breasts as it tugged and pinched at a peaked nipple.

It was not long before her inner walls were clamping down around his girth again, and went wild in his arms once more. "Eric, Eric, Eric." She moaned softly, over and over. His fingers were back between her legs, working more enthusiastically than before and dragged a body wracking scream from Sookie's throat as she climaxed again quickly.

"Is everything okay in there!?" A woman called from the other side of the door. Both Sookie and Eric did not miss Pam's laughter not too much further away.

"It's fine!" Sookie called breathlessly, "It's great, just g-go away!"

Pam's chuckle grew closer, and Sookie felt the saleswoman's mind go foggy.

"I feel cheated." Eric gave a sharp nip to her shoulder, "I am certain I could have gotten more than three orgasms from you, had you not screamed so easily." He sounded amused and disappointed at the same time, something Sookie had not thought possible. Sookie was still trembling from her third orgasm, and Eric took the opportunity to withdraw entirely and spin Sookie around. The girl was slightly dazed as she found herself once more on her knees, Eric's thick column of flesh pressing against her lips as he began to climax in her mouth. The delirium cleared up quickly as his essence coated her tongue and she began drinking him down as she cleaned her own juices from his flesh. Eric released a pleasured sigh as she did this before smiling down at her, "I did not think you would want to go the entire car ride with my come pooling in your panties." He smirked now.

Sookie's face flushed a deep red at his explanation. As she finished licking him clean, she accepted his hand to help her rise back up from the floor. He could feel by the amount of her weight she was having him support that her legs were still weak from the wide stretch he had them in for such an amount of time. The minute tremors of her thigh muscles was both entertaining and arousing for Eric. He had left many women weak limbed before, but none had been so in the endearing way that his Bonded always was.

With Eric's help, Sookie was dressed once more in the clothes she had begun the day in. As they opened the door Pam was standing just outside the dressing room with bags of purchases for herself and Sookie. Eric was rolling the destroyed dress into a ball and tossed it into a trash receptacle right outside of the store as they left.

"I liked that dress..." Sookie frowned as they continued walking down the street, Godric walking behind the trio with an amused little smile on his face.

"I had Pam grab another one for you, and pay for it and the one I was about to destroy." Eric assured her, "Believe me- I liked that dress even more than you did."

Another of Sookie's infamous blushes flooded her cheeks as she took Eric's hand in hers.

"_When are we goin' to talk about what happened with the Queen?"_Sookie asked him mentally.

Eric sighed,_"__After my phone rings."_Sookie quirked an eyebrow at him, but continued to follow him towards the Escalade.

The group was silent as they sat in the vehicle. Pam was waiting for a destination to be given, but in truth, they all knew what they were really waiting for. The hand of destiny was about to sweep all four of them in one direction or another. All that was left to do was to sit and wait for the phone to ring, designating where they might meet up with that future.

After nearly an hour of sitting in silence, all pondering their roles in several outcomes, the phone finally rang.

"Speak." Eric's voice was steady, belying the tension Sookie could feel rolling out of the Bond.

"_You were right. She would have killed me."_

"I am glad you escaped with your existence, Dana." Eric smiled, "Go to your Maker. Tell him 0-9-Q-9-0. He'll know what orders to follow through with."

"_Thank you."_

"Did you learn anything else?" Eric asked.

"_She was quick to shut down my video set up, but André was with her. It did not seem like they were about to run. From my experience with working with the Queen, I would have to say she is making a stand."_The vampiress was quiet a moment,_"__They were talking too quietly for the audio, but her Children were on their way into my room before she disconnected my camera. If all of her Children are around her, then she's buckling down."_

"Yes. Whatever choice you make tonight, Dana, you will still be in good standing with me." And Eric hung up his phone.

"0-9-Q-9-0..." Godric was frowning, staring at Eric carefully before taking out his own phone and dialing, "Isabel, go to my study and retrieve the paperwork in the bottom drawer on the right. Submit that to the King immediately."

"_Godric?"_Isabel sounded alarmed and confused.

"Thank you, Sheriff." Godric hung up the phone and turned back to Eric, "I am prepared whenever you are."

"Eric, what is goin' on?" Sookie moaned. The overall resolve she could feel resonating throughout the Bond was not just Eric's. Pam and Godric were fastening in for a long night, too. So strongly, in fact, that it was more than apparent to the telepath.

"We are taking the throne." Eric told her.

**TBC**

**A/N: I HOPE YOU ENJOYED, AND PLEASE REMEMBER TO REVIEW! **

**THANKS ONCE AGAIN TO NERDYGIRL1588!**

**-ANDI**


	18. Chapter 18

Keep Me

_A/N: Welcome back, everyone, to chapter eighteen of ! A bit of excitement on my part- someone has nominated me for a WIP award for 'Most Promising Trueblood Fanfiction'! To whomever submitted me- Thank you very much, I am honored! Now, if you all would do your part and vote! I believe voting opens tomorrow. Go to energizewipawards*blogspot*com . Just remember to replace the (*) with periods to use the address. I appreciate all of your support! And again, thank you to Nerdygirl1588 for being my beta and confidant!  
_

_-Andi_

**Chapter Eighteen:**

"What the hell do you mean, 'We are takin' the throne'!?" Sookie demanded.

"To be exact," Godric interjected, "_I_will be taking the throne. My call to Isabel was to have her submit my resignation as Sheriff of Area 9 in Dallas."

"Why was I never made aware of this plan?" Sookie asked.

"It was a last resort. None of us wished for such a political position, but I gave Sophie-Anne an option, and this is what she chose."

"She's choosin' to side with the Fae and save André." The telepath realized, "... Was that André's angle from the beginning?"

"I believe so. He took many risks to put himself in a position that would force Sophie-Anne into an alliance with Niall. That Were was never meant to get to me. He was suppose to fail, and I was meant to follow the breadcrumbs back to André. If the Were did not fail, I believe André's safety net was to hope that Godric would seek retribution. Bill would have ended up here in the mean time to look for you while Godric was chasing after André. Bill would have kept you until Sophie-Anne agreed to work with Niall, and then all of them would have done as they wished with you once the war in Elfyria was over."

"Why didn't I see any of that?" The girl crossed her arms over her chest with a sudden chill.

"Bill would never have known all that. He had the least ambition for his wants out of the arrangement. It is understandable that he would know the least." Eric wrapped his arm over her shoulder.

"How did you figure it out?" Sookie asked.

"I thought about what any of us would do for one another. It was the most logical conclusion."

"You_guessed_?" She gaped when Eric nodded.

"I prepared for several outcomes, but I played my hand as though I knew this would happen." He admitted.

Shaking her head, as if to loosen up the current of new information that was congesting her thoughts, Sookie asked, "How do you sift through all of this? How do you know what is real information, and what is false?"

Eric smiled at her question, "It is like a game of chess. There are times when you play opponents that you know, and times that you play against complete strangers. You must learn about the character of your adversary based on the way he moves his pieces. Sometimes you can anticipate their moves because of your history with that person. Niall is particularly interesting to play against because he is similar to me. We do not share information we do not wish to, and rarely details that are true. When Niall said that he knew nothing about you until you escaped from Hale. I knew this was false, as you obviously must by now." Sookie nodded. It was apparent to her since she had read Bill's memories, and it had surprised her to say the least. "With Godric as King of Louisiana, Niall will need to go through him to get any assistance. If he tries this, we will have our opening to end Niall."

"And what about Elfyria?" Sookie asked.

"What about it?" Eric asked right back.

"Niall rules Elfyria, right? He's at war with the Water Fae, who from what I've come to understand, want to destroy all hybrids like me." Her expression became pensive, "I'll be fighting the rest of my existence. I can't even be sure that they'll leave me alone if I become a vampire."

"I will protect you." Eric promised her.

Sookie shook her head, "No."

"No?"

"I don't want to be protected." She told him, "I want to be revered... No... Feared by the Water Fae. They won't want to come after me once they have met me. I want them to know it will be certain death if they ever tried."

Pam turned her head, looking at Sookie from the driver's seat, "And how might you accomplish this?"

"I'm goin' to go to Elfyria and confront them."

Pam snorted, "Might I ask, how?"

"Niall still needs an heir. He still needs me for that." She looked at Eric carefully, "You need to give him an openin' to take me."

Eric growled at the very thought, "I could not bring you back from Elfyria without the aid of a fairy."

"I will bring myself back." She shrugged.

"Impossible." He snarled.

"No it's not." She patted his hand.

"I do not even know if I could feel you through the Bond if you were to go to that realm." He tried to dissuade her. "How would I know when you needed me?"

"And the separation sickness." Godric pointed out. "You might go mad if you are away from Eric too long."

"If the Bond is negated by traveling through to that world, Eric and I might last longer than before."

"Or it might deteriorate your faculties sooner." Godric was quick with his reply.

"We need to focus on the point at hand!" Pam interjected, "We can discuss Sookie's suicide mission_after_we have taken the throne. Perhaps, it will go as Eric plans, and Niall will make a move to acquire Godric's assistance. That will give us our opening to take on Niall. But none of that will happen if we don't work out our strategy against Sophie-Anne!"

Everyone nodded slowly at Pam's observation, although a lingering apprehension over the previous discussion was still a cloud of despair looming above their heads.

"We should attack before dusk and destroy as many as possible before they rise." Sookie suggested. "That will let me store energy in case it continues after they begin to rise and I'm forced to use my telekinesis."

"The grounds are guarded by Weres during the day." Eric pointed out. "We should use the access tunnels under the estate. They will be guarded as well, but we will encounter the sentries in smaller groups."

"Sookie, can you find a vampire's void when they are dead for the day?" Pam asked.

"Yes." She nodded.

"Good. Then we will know when all have been eliminated." The vampiress gave an approving nod, "How close do you need to be?"

Sookie shrugged, "I've rarely used my gifts for stuff like this." She admitted, "I guess within a football field distance? Maybe a little bit larger area."

"That will be fine then." Pam looked to Eric, "There are rarely guards inside the palace during the day. If we get in through the tunnels without sounding an alert, we can take out the vampires with ease."

"Regardless, we will need to stock up on silver and stakes." Eric told her. "Pam, you get the silver. Sookie and I will get the stakes."

"I will access the blueprints of the compound and find our best point of entry. Eric, while you are out do not forget to acquire wire cutters." Godric reminded.

"Of course." Eric nodded, "We will meet back in an hour."

Everyone exited the car, so that Godric could get in the driver's seat and leave while Eric, Sookie, and Pam split up to undertake their own tasks.

"Eric?" Sookie began carefully as they walked down the aisle of a hardware store.

"Yes, Sookie?" He was grabbing wood posting stakes and pressing them into Sookie's waiting arms.

"Are you nervous about this?" She asked quietly.

"No."

"Are you just sayin' that?"

"You can feel me, Sookie. You would know if I was uneasy about our task." Eric reminded her.

"I know, but... Do you really think it's goin' to be as easy as all that?" She whispered.

"_Yes. Weres do not stand a chance against ones as old as Godric and I. Once the Queen is dead, they have no reason to put forth resistance."_He explained, using his mind now that they were talking about a sensitive topic,_"__As long as we kill her and her Children swiftly, we will have no other resistance."_

"_How would you explain them all bein' dead?"_

"_We slay any that enter the palace before nightfall."_Eric shrugged._"__As long as no one sees us during the day, there can be little suspicion about how it was achieved. We will have plenty of time to destroy security footage."_

"_How long do you think it will take to get in and take down everyone?"_Sookie asked.

"_Getting in could take about 30 minutes. If we split up in the residence, we could dispatch everyone in ten or twenty minutes. However, I would prefer that we stick together in the event that Sophie-Anne has laid any traps."_Eric was now stacking the wooden implements into his own arms. He could not imagine that many vampires being on the grounds during the day, but he did not want to risk being unprepared. Plus, a lot of the furniture, though quite able to become a makeshift stake, was quite expensive, and he did not wish to destroy potential revenue._"__We stick together once we begin."_

"No wanderin'. Got it." Sookie had a flaring of curiosity and then asked, "How does takin' over work? Can there be resistance?"

"Of course." Eric shrugged,_"__That is why I sent Dana to sound the alert that my bloodline is taking over."_

"_Is that what that number/letter code you recited was?"_She asked.

"_Yes. My followers will make their march to New Orleans to lend support tomorrow evening."_Eric nodded.

"_What do you have to do after Sophie-Anne is gone?"_She pressed.

"_Godric has resigned from his affiliations with Texas. Once we have taken the residence and dispatched the old house, he will be required to submit a formal notice to the Council about his undertaking the new kingdom with a list of no less than 51% of the Louisiana population agreeing to surrender their fealty to him uncontested. After the majority relinquishes their allegiance, Godric will be formally recognized by the Council as the new King of Louisiana. He will have five months to collect his house, establish Areas and Sheriffs, and register his Royalty fee to the Council."_

"_Royalty fee?"_Sookie's eyebrows raised.

"_Yes. Every year a Regent must give the Council a contribution of wealth to maintain their status as a Regent."_Eric nodded._"__But my bloodline is more than able to afford this. Also, Sheriffs are required to pay their Regents monthly for their status, and civilians must pay to live in an Area and pay their Sheriff. It is a tax, for lack of a better word."_

"_Huh... How does Fae royalty work?"_She followed him towards the checkout.

"_Similar to that of the Old World. Their Royalty is that by blood. However, unlike humans, the Fae used to revere their women, and the crown passed down on the female side of the line. That is why Niall is only a Prince. He cannot claim the title of King unless he is married. It is believed that he killed his wife, though never proven."_Eric told her._"__That is probably why, despite being a hybrid, you are able to produce Royal heirs. Hence, why you are an asset to Niall. If you have a daughter with a male Fae of the court, he would be able to raise and manipulate her. She would wear the crown, but he would call all of the shots. Unfortunately, because the royal bloodline has been so thinned out, you have, apparently, become eligible for the throne. If you were to have a female child with a fairy, though, it would have more fae blood than you, and immediately have more right to the throne."_

"_So, because I'm a woman, I have more right to the throne than Niall?"_Sookie asked.

"_Unless there is another female fairy in your bloodline that has, thus far, been unable to claim it."_Eric was quiet a moment as he kept his thoughts to himself,_"__It is quite peculiar that you are even eligible. After all, you are a descendent of Fintan, who was only half fairy, not even a fairy of Royal blood. It was Niall's second wife that made him a Prince, and that line of descendents would be the ones most eligible for the throne."_Eric shook his head,_"__Fae politics are impossible to figure out. Sometimes, I wonder, if they even__**have**__any rules."_

Sookie laughed at that, "What time is it?"

"Closing in on 9." Eric replied.

"Wow, we got a long night ahead of us."

"Yes." Eric agreed. "But we have much to do, so it is a good thing."

Eric and Sookie were the first to arrive back at the Escalade. They waited inside, Sookie on his lap, as he petted her hair in silence. Both were making their anticipations for the mission ahead of them, and did not bother mentioning their thoughts verbally or mentally.

After a while, the front passenger door opened and Godric slid in, "I got the specs for the underground of the estate. There's really only one good point of entry." He unfolded a large blueprint.

"How did you get these?"

"Public records. I do not need an invite to enter that building." Godric smiled at her, "See here?" He pointed at the paper now, "This is only going to get us onto the grounds. None of the systems remain large enough for us to gain access to the actual structure. However, this one leads into outer building that will get us close enough to the main one. It is a stretch from the outer building to the main, but..."

"We would be better off flying over the fence." Eric sighed. "I had hoped since the estate was older that it would have a more suitable point of entry."

"It would seem, if those points had existed, Sophie-Anne had them eliminated." Godric agreed.

"Could you dig a tunnel?" Sookie asked, "We got all night and between the three of you..?"

Eric smirked, "It would be too noisy, but it could be done. However, with Were ears listening, they would know something was happening."

"Oh." Sookie frowned. "How many guards would there be?"

"At night there are ten. During the day, I would assume no less than double." Eric supplied.

"Twenty Weres." Sookie murmured to herself. "What are the best ways to take down a Were? I want to conserve as much energy as possible in case we get in a pinch."

"Neck breaking is the most efficient. Weres tend to fight back wildly if they do not take an instant death." Godric answered.

"Don't I know it." Sookie grumbled, remembering how in Mack's final moments, he had managed to hold Sookie so tightly that she had been crushed beneath his collapsing body. The memory of it was enough to make her ribs ache. "But I can't snap necks."

The vampires chuckled, "You will be between the three of us. Pamela is more than old enough to handle Weres, and your telekinesis will only be used under extenuating circumstances. Keep your guard up, but you are really only coming along because Eric could never leave you behind." Godric explained.

Sookie nodded in understanding. A moment later she flinched as Pam appeared at the driver's side door, yanking it open.

"I bought a great deal of sterling silver jewelry. The saleswoman was both excited and confused, but did not put up any resistance." Pam opened a bag to show Eric, "I asked for the biggest, gaudiest silver rings, and thick silver necklaces."

"Good job, Pamela. Now, let us drive to the Queen's compound and do surveillance. Sookie, I would like you to get an idea of how many bodies, Were, Vampire, or whatever are inside the grounds." Eric instructed, as Pam settled into her seat and brought the car to life, "Pam, concentrate on being discrete while you drive. Godric and I will look for a point of entry." Everyone nodded as Pam pulled into traffic.

As they drove by the estate, Sookie did not need to be told that they had arrived. The amount of Supernatural minds was enough of a clue, and the ostentatious décor also confirmed the telepath's suspicions.

"Woah, I think she amped up security for you, Eric." Sookie grimaced, "I have about fifteen voids, and about twenty red snarls."

"Thirty-five bodies on the compound?" Eric asked.

"More. There are about ten humans in there as well." Sookie told him.

"Forty-five, then." Eric reassessed, "The humans will be the least of our concerns, but must still be viewed as a threat. I would prefer to just glamour them rather than kill."

"Agreed." Godric smiled, "I believe the western garden wall would be the best access point." He added. "It has good coverage, although a much larger distance to the main building."

"Yes, but the tree line comes closer to that side of the house than any other point." Eric gestured to the forested area. "Sookie, do you think you can use your gift to open a lock?"

"I don't know. I've never tried." Sookie blanched apologetically.

"We will try it out beforehand then. If she can do it, we can walk right in the back door." Eric smirked. This plan was getting easier and easier. "We will have to prepare for the shift change in the guards as well. Unfortunately, anyone who sees us there during the day will have to either die or be glamoured. Weres are immune to glamouring, and will need to be eliminated."

"If we are lucky, a human will be responsible for overseeing the shift change, and we can glamour them into keeping the Weres unaware. However, the likelihood of no blood being spilled is very unlikely, and their hyper sensitive scenting will get them killed." Godric looked disappointed by this, and Sookie inquired about it, "I do not enjoy ending the existences of any creature. Human, Vampire, or Two-natured. I have long since overcome my predilection for basking in blood for the sake of it. It saddens me now to take lives for useless cause."

"It's not useless, though." Sookie pressed, "We are at war. War means casualties, and..."

"Sookie?" Eric felt a deep sadness in his Bonded.

The girl shook her head, "I'm not any better than Niall."

"What are you talking about, Dear One?" Eric asked gently.

"These past couple of days I've been spoutin' out all this indignant crap about how the Fae ruined my life without a second thought about me as an individual. Now, here I am, ready to kill people who are probably parents, or at least_someone_'_s_child." She whispered, "All so that_my_life can be better. I just realized what a selfish hypocrite I am."

"But you are not fighting for just yourself right now, are you?" Pam craned her neck around to look at the girl, "We are all in danger, and that had nothing to do with_you_. That was all Niall's work, along with the help of his pawns. Yes, you might have a few personal motivations, but you are fighting alongside us, are you not?"

"Well, yes-"

"We are not going on this mission just for the sole purpose of liberating you. We are protecting our bloodline in the process."

"Well, that's true, too-"

"Now get those thoughts out of your head, and remember: this is a war. We choose our sides and we fight for something. Those Weres joined the royal guard with the knowledge that their lives could be forsaken at any moment. We are entering that compound with the same knowledge." Pam's voice was firm, resolved, "With the knowledge that any one of us could not walk out of it ever again."

Sookie choked on her next objection. Thoughts of Pam being taken down by a Were, or a hidden guard getting the upper hand on Godric. Her mind could not even fathom the possibility of losing Eric. Then, the notion that she was about to risk her life for this, that she could be the one Pam had just jinxed. Merely considering the idea that she could die the next day made the girl's heart race frantically in her chest. It seemed befitting, though. In some cruel poetic ending to her life. Misery and dismissal with the briefest interlude of passionate happiness stunted prematurely in the flurry of battle. But her heart sedated once more, and a strange calm enveloped her being. Sookie was unsure at the moment if it were Eric sending her that calm, or that the sudden thought she had caused it. Euphoria at the realization that, in all of her years of darkness, she had experienced the sweeping romanticism that every young woman fantasized about. Even if it was brief, and she died tomorrow, Sookie decided that it was all worth that whirlwind of joy she got to have.

"None of us are goin' to die tomorrow." Sookie said knowingly. "We stick together. No matter what. No one can get the drop on any of us if we're together, because I'll hear them comin'. Even if a vampire is somehow awake, I'll feel their void approachin'."

"We do not separate." Godric nodded in agreement, "It will take longer to clear the estate, but it is our safest measure." He looked to Sookie, his expression stern, "Do not blow anyone up unless we get rushed. I want you to strain yourself as little as possible in the event that we are cornered, outnumbered or somehow over powered."

"I understand." Sookie gave a sharp nod.

"What time do we attack?" Pam asked.

"Since we are sticking together, I would say around three. That will give us four hours before shift change. Sookie will do a ground check before we go over the wall." Eric began.

"Pam, did you bring any artillery before you drove down here?" Godric asked.

"Eric has a few weapons in his vehicles at all times. I believe we have the broadsword in the escalade and the katana is in your Corvette." Pam supplied.

"You brought nothing else?" Eric frowned.

"I am sorry, Master. Had I known we were going to war, I would have packed my arsenal." She gave him a lazy leer. Eric sighed, but still buried the telltale signs of a smile.

"The night is still young. I can easily make it to Shreveport and back with more weapons." Godric reasoned.

"Yes. Bring whatever you think we need from the underground vault. The combination has not changed." Eric nodded. "Sookie," he turned to his Bonded, "you should take more of my blood before the fight. Even if it does not give you any extra strength, it will help you heal faster should you sustain an injury."

The girl nodded as Godric was getting out of the car to leave once more for Shreveport, "We should go somewhere that I can practice opening locks with my telekinesis."

"That is a good idea."

{====)

"_How many bodies?"_Eric asked softly in Sookie's mind as Pam, Godric, Sookie, and he pressed beneath the treeline outside the wall of the estate.

Sookie's eyes were closed as she concentrated,_"__Five making rounds on the inner wall. Another four on the outside of the of the building itself. Two Were's on the main floor of the estate. I'm countin' four voids below the main floor. Three voids on the main floor... Still ten human minds. It seems that Sophie-Anne isn't expectin' anythin' durin' the day."_

"_That is good. That means we only have eleven true threats right now. Are any of the humans sleeping?"_Eric asked.

"_All but one. I don't like his mind. Very dark. Very intense."_Sookie warned._"__Oh! A Were on the outer wall is comin' this way to investigate. He can smell us."_

"_Stay here."_Eric commanded. "Five outer, four inner." He relayed to the others as they jumped the wall swiftly.

Sookie only had time to just start getting her heart pounding before an arm was hanging in front of her face, offering to pull her over the wall.

"The way is clear to the doors. Hurry. Security will be on to us shortly." Pam hissed as she flung Sookie over the wall and onto the grounds of the property.

Even as the girl was regaining her equilibrium, Eric had her by the hand and slung her over his back like a sack of potatoes. The movement and force was enough to knock the breath out of her, and the overall disorientation of moving at vampire speed had her confused when she was suddenly at the back door of the building. In the moment she took to catch her mind up with her body's new location, she spotted two heaps of bodies along the outer perimeter. It took her a moment to shake the earlier feeling of regret before she could bare to take on her next task.

The door was locked, forcing Sookie to use her telekinetic technique to flip the lock open. However, she was nervous, and ended up cracking one of the little glass panes of the door.

As they opened the entryway, Sookie heard a Were coming to check out the strange noise at the door._"__Were comin' in."_She warned just as he appeared around the corner. Eric had just enough time to deflect the Beretta flailing towards his face and Godric swiftly beheaded him with the Katana Pam had originally brought. With the same deftness that he had decapitated their foe, Godric caught the plummeting head by its hair to keep it from thudding noisily to the floor.

"The last one will smell the blood." Eric frowned. "Where is he?"

"The next room to the left." Sookie whispered breathlessly.

Godric zipped into the room and Sookie could hear the audible crackle as his neck was snapped even through the wall. When he returned, Sookie was glaring at him.

"What?" Godric frowned at his youngest comrade's optical daggers.

"We're suppose to stick together." She crossed her arms over her chest.

Godric smirked, "My apologies, Little Sookie. I will not react so spontaneously again. Where is this human that you mentioned?"

The girl pointed to the right and followed them as they went to the room. It turned out to be the security office, which was good for them since they would have to destroy evidence of their daytime activity. The security technician was glamoured quickly by Pam, and sent out of the house as Pam went on to destroy the footage of their assault on Sophie-Anne's estate.

"I don't like this." Sookie's nerves were amping up, "Why is this so easy?" She whined.

"Because it is daytime." Eric answered, "Sophie-Anne could never have anticipated a daytime attack of this caliber. I would have needed to hire Weres, and she would have thought I could not raise an army so quickly."

"Still makes me nervous. I'm waiting for an ambush." She grumbled.

"Do you sense anyone?" He asked, eyebrows raised.

"No."

"Then relax!" Pam snapped, "You're agitating me."

"I am surprised that we did not run into any demons." Eric was frowning.

"You don't think that I can't hear them, do you?" Sookie became alarmed at the notion.

"I doubt it. You cannot hear vampires, yet they still take up space that you can feel them out. Demons should be no different." He assured. "I just find it surprising that Sophie-Anne did not have at least one on retainer."

"Considering Sophie-Anne's detestation of the Fae, she might have had similar feelings towards demons." Godric pointed out, "They run in enough similar circles, that the Queen might have disassociated herself with them as well."

"I hope that is true." Eric was still frowning. "Sookie, where are the humans?"

"Nine upstairs. They're all sleepin'." She told him.

"Then upstairs we go!" Pam lead the group and Godric handed her back the sword he had commandeered to slay the Were from the kitchen.

It was quick work, rousing the sleeping humans and glamouring them into leaving the estate. Sookie took care to check their memories for all security measures they were aware of, and then Pam, Eric, or Godric handled the alterations of their memories.

"Now the vampires." Eric announced. "The basement, yes?"

Sookie nodded and the quartet made their way back to the main floor to begin searching for the access to the lower levels of the estate.

"Sophie-Anne's extravagance was placed in all of the wrong places." Godric frowned, "An estate this large needed much more security."

"From the memories I gathered from the humans, this was pretty much a common daytime set up security-wise. They weren't glamoured memories, either." She added that last part. Thanks to Jason, she had a very good idea what a glamoured memory felt like. "Ah!" She grinned as her fingertips found a bump behind a bookshelf. The girl pressed it and the bookshelf released from the wall. "Secret passage! Just like an old haunted house movie!" Her grin lessened the tension that was mounting and the vampires shook their heads amusedly.

Eric pulled the bookshelf the remaining way from the wall, and the four went down the stairway into the darkness of the basement. Sookie was clinging to Eric's arm, her night vision not the superior version her vampires had, though still much better than a normal human's.

When they were on a flat surface again, Sookie continued to hold onto her Bonded, "I feel them to the left. Is there a door or hallway that way?"

"A hallway." Eric told her.

"Wait wait wait." Sookie mumbled, tugging Eric's arm, "There's somethin' else down here."

"What?" Everyone froze as Godric asked.

"I don't know. It's like a whisper or something. So subdued. It was close enough to the voids that it was enveloped by them. There's three."

"Looks like the demons were guarding the actual resting places." Godric growled. "Sookie stay back. You cannot see as easily down here." He instructed, "Put your back to the wall, and do not move."

Sookie did as she was told, her eyes clenched tight as the sound of a fight broke out a few yards to her left.

"Vampires!?" She heard an unknown voice shout in surprise as it realized exactly what it was fighting followed shortly by three simultaneous shrieks. Eric had flung a fistful of iron powder into the demons' faces as he, Godric and Pam rushed them. The demons choked on the iron, the toxic metal burning their eyes and skin as it debilitated them. A second later Sookie heard a gurgle and groan as she assumed one demon's throat was slashed. She still had not forgotten that sound from when she had performed a similar kill all those months ago.

Eric flicked his wrist, causing the blade in his hand to disperse some of the blood that was coating its smooth belly. His keen eyes took in the anticlimactic scene before him as Pam pierced her opponent's heart with her own sword, and his Maker put his fist through the gut of the third demon. The Viking was quickly understanding what Sookie meant. This_was_easy, but sadly, not t_oo _easy. If the four of them had tried this as dusk or true night, he knew that the situation would not have been so favorable.

"Sookie." Eric whispered as he drew close to her, letting her know it was him approaching, "Is there anyone else in the building?"

"Just the voids. But I can't be sure now that I know demons have such subdued minds." She admitted. Casting out her gift to encompass the whole lower level, Sookie let out a sigh, "I am certain there are no more down here, but we should do a second sweep of the estate when the vampires are taken care of."

"Agreed." The other three said in unison.

"Do you have a code for this security alarm?" Eric asked hopefully.

"No, but..." Sookie went to the wall and knocked the plaster by the door, "I don't need one." She leaned back and kicked hard against the wall, her foot going through. Extracting her foot from the hole, she then reached in and managed to reach the doorknob on the other side of the wall. With a sharp twist, the door opened and she turned to grin at her companions.

"Does my system have the same problem?" Eric asked slowly.

"No. Yours has a solid wall about three feet from the door frame." Sookie told him.

"You checked?" Eric was surprised.

"Not really." She blushed a bit, "I just noticed whenever we did it standing up against the wall that the point by the door was much sturdier, and didn't give that hollow sound like when it was any of the other walls."

Everyone laughed at the explanation, "Shall we get this over with then?" Pam finally asked once they had sobered up from their laughter.

As the four entered the room, Pam groaned, "Well, shit."

"What? What's wrong?" Sookie looked at the pile of bodies strewn about the large bed in the chamber. The girl had thought Eric's bed was huge, but it was incomparable to the one in the Queen's chamber.

"She had her Children sleep in her bed, but André is not among them." Eric explained, "The "Berts", the Queen, and her youngest Gracie. André must be one of the three Voids on the main floor."

"Why is this a problem?" Sookie asked.

"A Maker will feel when their Child is destroyed, as a Child will feel when their Maker is destroyed." Godric elucidated the situation, "When we kill any of them, they will awaken, even during the day."

"So there's five all together, and we only have four." Sookie realized. "Which means, André could get the jump on us when we kill these guys?"

"Yes." Eric nodded, "Fortunately, he will be weakened. Unfortunately, he could still have time to call reinforcements."

"Will a vampire wake up if they're moved during the day?" Sookie asked next.

"Not usually. It is very difficult to wake a vampire during the day." Eric told her.

"So, why don't we find André, drag him down here with the rest and drive some stakes?" Sookie shrugged.

"As good of a plan as any." Godric tilted his head thoughtfully, "Eric, one of us can easily stake two simultaneously, and that will leave one for the rest of us. Sookie, you are willing, yes?" He checked.

"Only," Sookie held up a hand, "if I get to kill André."

"Agreed." The other three said in unison.

"I would hate for you not to carry out on your vendetta against all those that ruined your life." Pam smiled mischievously at the girl, "Will you be blowing him up, too?"

"No, I'm kind of interested in this stakin' business. I want to see what that's like." Sookie smirked back as they made their way out of the basement and back to the main floor. "Plus, Godric did tell me to restrain myself on the telekinesis."

"Ah, yes. That is true." Pam frowned, "I suppose another explosion would be too soon after Compton's. I really would hate to become apathetic with it so quickly."

Godric and Eric were shaking their heads in confused amusement at the women's conversation, but continued to follow Sookie as she lead the way to the nearest void.

The three vampires groaned when they saw who the first vampire guard was.

"I would sincerely dislike killing Donavon." Eric sighed.

"He's only a few decades younger than you, correct?" Pam asked.

"Yes, and a very loyal and reliable vampire." Eric added.

"Couldn't we just wrap the coffin in silver so he can't get out too early?" Sookie asked. "I mean, I'm still human... ish... I could've broken in during the day and done this."

"No." Godric shook his head, "That would raise too many questions. We do not need other supes questioning just what kind of threat you are. If you are seen as_that_powerful, it will only ensure us more enemies." He looked to Eric, "Would you prefer if I did it?"

"No. He deserves to be killed by someone who knew and respected him." Eric shook his head, took a stake out of his inner coat pocket and plunged it into the vampire's chest. He did not even react to the blow, merely disintegrated before them. "He should not have had to be here during the day... Sophie-Anne probably figured if I struck soon after dusk, Donavon would have been the only one in her Queendom that could stand up to me. She was unaware that you were here as well."

"Let's find André." Sookie suggested gently, and they left the room for the next void. This one was André, which Sookie had anticipated, giving the extra security on this room. "Should we take care of the other vampire first and come back for him?" She asked.

Everyone nodded and they disposed of the last remaining vampire that was not part of Sophie-Anne's bloodline. It was not a vampiress that anyone gave much thought about, and they moved back on to André. Eric hoisted the lifeless corpse over his shoulder and followed the troupe back to the basement to place him on the bed with the rest of his bloodline.

"I would like to dispose of Sophie-Anne myself." Eric said quietly, "She would not have taken this battle if it were not for her love of André."

"I'll take the "Berts"." Godric offered.

"That leaves me with Gracie since Sookie called dibs on André." Pam sighed, taking a stake and placing it over the small woman's chest.

Sookie took a stake from Eric as he placed his own over Sophie-Anne's heart. The telepath was taking slow breaths as she waited for the countdown.

"3...2...1-" All four drove their stakes through their selected victims. The blood covered them in copious amounts as it pooled and splattered outward from their deteriorating vessels.

Letting out a long breath, Sookie looked at her comrades with a weak smile, "I guess all that's left is Niall..."

"No. We must kill any Weres that come for the shift change as well." Eric reminded her. "Also, we decided that we would do another sweep of the estate in case there were any more demons lurking."

"Wouldn't they have come after us by now?" Sookie asked.

"Not necessarily. We accomplished this all very quickly. It has not even been an hour." Eric explained. "Now, let us do a final sweep, and then we will get in our holding pattern until twenty after dusk. At that point, we will be able to allow those who show up the opportunity to live."

The quartet gave the estate one last scouring before encircling the main entrance of the building. Forming a barrier at the door, weapons in hand, they waited patiently.

**TBC**

**A/N: PLEASE REMEMBER TO REVIEW, AND DON'T FORGET TO GO TO BLOGSPOT AND VOTE. THE ADDRESS IS IN THE OPENING A/N! **

**-ANDI**


	19. Chapter 19

Keep Me

_A/N: Welcome, Readers, to chapter nineteen of __Keep Me__! Just so everyone is aware, I am going to be taking a little break from writing. I felt this would be a good time to begin my sabbatical, seeing as chapter twenty begins after a time jump. It saddens me to take a reprieve, but I can feel the steam running out, and I would rather take on the remainder of this story with full enthusiasm. I am hoping that I will begin posting again in about a month, but do not fear, it will not be too long of a wait!_

_-Andi_

**Chapter Nineteen:**

As Charles lead the march into New Orleans, his Child by his side, he could not help but wonder if his fear of Eric Northman was worth the possibility of meeting his final death. He was scared out of his mind, but the thought of what Northman could and _would_ do to him if he failed to show up with his supporters was even more terrifying.

Dana's small hand slipped into his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. What kind of Maker was he that he needed his own Child to grip his hand and placate his fears like a toddler? Yanking his hand from hers, Charles steeled his nerves and marched on.

When they arrived at the estate, waiting for a sign of Northman, other allies pulled up along the road, hundreds spilling out of collective vehicles or appearing from various alleys and shadows. They stood, gathered at the gate, which was ominously slung open. Tentatively the militia made its way through the iron threshold. No guards came at them. No vampires confronted them.

The entire, slow, nerve wracking journey from the gate to the front door had the vampires already forming an attack pattern. More experienced warriors among them were turning away from the front, taking in the entire layout of the grounds, awaiting an ambush. When the mass arrived through the entrance of the main building, they stood in a collective, disbelieving silence.

There stood the Gahl bloodline. All three of them, covered in crimson stains, holding an assortment of swords. A young girl stood with them, her arms crossed over her chest, a blood coated stake dangling almost forgotten in her hand as she spoke with Northman's Child. Northman and his Maker were smirking at one another as they talked in hushed tones.

Suddenly, Eric turned his head to the stupefied cluster of vampires as if he had only just realized their arrival, and he walked over to greet them, "We have already taken the kingdom. Thank you for offering to lend your support. All of those who wish to behold their new King, take a knee and show your fealty to Godric of Gahl!" He roared the end, causing the other vampires to snap their eyes to Northman's Maker and immediately fall to their knees.

"Rise." Godric said shortly after heads had been bowed. When the collective had gone once more to their feet, he continued, "It saddens me to take your Queen from you. I know that she was most beloved in her Queendom. I have no ambition for this power I now wield, but she threatened my bloodline. My bloodline that conquered her without any loss of existence amongst ourselves, and no assistance from anyone outside our line." He made a point by saying this, "Spread the news far and wide, that the Gahl line has destroyed the le Clerq line in a mere hour!"

Victorious cries rose amongst the gathered vampires before they zipped out of the estate to spread the word as they were told. Only one was stopped before they could leave.

"Luis." Eric called and a dark skinned vampire turned at the sounding of his name before going back to the Sheriff, "You are Sheriff of Area 3 currently." He smirked down at him, "As my Maker gets his house in order, his bloodline will remain in Area 1 to combat any potential protests or mutinies. Are you willing and able to oversee Area 5 until a time befitting our return?"

"Yes, Sir." Luis inclined his head respectfully, "You will not remain in court?" He was confused.

"I do not wish to, though if my Maker suggests it, I will oblige him happily, and arrangements for a new Sheriff for Area 5 will be made after his decision." Eric nodded.

"I will oversee your area until your hopeful return then, Sir." Luis bowed his head once again before departing.

"I will try not to keep you here long, Eric." Godric smiled, "Hopefully it will only be a few months."

"I think we should get a witch in here to put up new protection as soon as possible." Sookie suggested, "We don't know what barriers were laid down, and we can't risk opposition poppin' in at their leisure."

"A fine suggestion." Eric nodded, happy with her quick thinking, though it was unneeded. He would not disregard that her inexperienced mind was trained enough to acknowledge such a necessity. "Pam, start disposing of the bodies. We no longer need them for their shock value."

"Yes, Master." Pam nodded and went about her newest task.

"Eric, do you know of a witch we could contact in this area?" Godric asked as Eric came back to himself and Sookie.

"I do, but I am not sure they could handle a property this large." He admitted.

"Octavia!"

"Who?" Eric asked.

"The Witch we met last night?" Godric frowned.

"Yes! She said that she would teach me magic when she came to ward _your_ new property!" Sookie was laughing a bit, "She was talking about this estate bein' Godric's. Not about the property Eric bought for us up state." She realized.

"I see... But she did not give us a contact number." He reminded.

"She's been in contact with Doctor Ludwig. If we called her, she could give us the number... Oh, we have to call her anyway! She is suppose to give me an exam tonight." Sookie remembered.

"I will make the call." Eric reached for his cell phone, turning away from the group.

"_Vampire."_ Ludwig greeted when she answered the call.

"Doctor, I wished to ask you for the phone number of a witch named Octavia? We require her assistance at the former Queen's estate." Eric told her nonchalantly.

"_Former Queen?"_ Ludwig sounded more amused than surprised. "_Should I be offering my congratulations to yourself or your Maker?"_

"Godric will be taking the throne." Eric clarified.

"_Then I will send Octavia to you this evening."_ The doctor assured, "_Am I still permitted to examine your Bonded this evening?"_

"Yes." Eric assured, "She is still open to allowing the examination."

"_Shall I appear now?"_

"If you wish." Eric replied before turning to Sookie, "Ludwig will be teleporting in. Do not blow her up." The girl gave him a bemused grin in response.

***POP***

"Good evening, Little Girl." Ludwig nodded to the fairy hybrid, "Well, come here and let me get a look at you." Sookie closed the distance between herself and the strange creature that was the world renowned Supe doctor.

Ludwig pulled a measuring tape out of her big carpet bag and began measuring her, "Since I last saw you, I can tell that you've put on a little weight. That's good. You are quite thin for this frame. Make sure your vampire is feeding you properly." She took the tape measure to her bust, waist, and hips before measuring the diameter of her upper thigh, "I'd say you're about fifteen or twenty pounds underweight still. I wouldn't mind seeing you put a little more than twenty pounds on."

"Eric's hirin' a cook for me so that I stop skippin' meals." Sookie assured her.

"That is good." The doctor nodded, "And are there any changes in your abilities?"

"Nothin' new since the telekinesis. Since we all made a big deal about me blowin' stuff up, I guess you know I can do that with it." She smirked, "I can hear vampires under certain conditions, but it's not discrete like when I hear humans, or even Weres and Shifters."

"Don't expect too many more gifts from your Witch side. I would be surprised if that expands any further. The ones you have will probably only get stronger. Your Fae gifts shouldn't start showing up for quite a while still. Your Bonded will recognize Fae traits, so, Viking, when you see them occurring, let me know. I want to know exactly what age they begin to manifest."

Eric nodded at the doctor's request.

"Now, you are from the Sky clan, yes?" Sookie inclined slowly, "Teleportation is usually the first Fae gift to manifest. Being a Sky Fae means you could get the Feather Fall ability. That is just being able to slow your body down as you fall a great distance, and cause you to land softly. Some Sky Fae can fly, but not most. Most fae can also do light manipulations. Concentrating light energy and projecting it. There is also an after image technique they do with that ability which casts their image in another, nearby, location. That is much harder to learn. You would probably need to be taught to do that. Projecting light, though, can be a handy ability against vampires. It will usually burn them severely, though it would probably not work on the bloodline you are connected to, seeing as they are immune to sunlight."

"Yes," Sookie nodded, "Eric got hit with that a few days ago and was no worse for wear."

"Really? Who did that?" Ludwig was surprised.

"Fintan Brigant." Sookie grimaced.

Ludwig spun to look at Eric, "He..?" Eric shook his head, and Sookie felt alarm in the Bond.

"What?"

"We will discuss it later, Sookie." Eric assured her, but she could feel his regret and a bit of nervousness.

Sookie was also not ignorant of Ludwig's somber expression as she turned back to her, "What's wrong?"

"It is something you and your Bonded will need to work through together." The doctor said quietly, "But, Little Girl..." She shook her head, thinking better of what she was about to say, "We will test your abilities and possible weaknesses another time. May I take some blood before I go?" Sookie was agreeable, and the doctor took a small vial of her blood before popping back out of the palace, "How come she can teleport in here? Aren't there wards?"

Godric cleared his throat, "It is because she was gifted a special talisman by the Council and Pantheon. It allows her to appear wherever she wishes, so long as she is wanted."

"That's cool." She looked to Eric now, "What aren't you tellin' me?"

"Sookie," Eric approached her with a gentle demeanor, "let us go to a more private room. There is something I think you should be made aware of, I only just pieced this together recently." He took her hand and lead her down the hallway to the den. He sat her on a plush sofa before seating himself next to her. He was still holding her hands firmly, which made Sookie's heart race with unease.

"Eric?" She asked worriedly.

"I have deduced based on the actions and results of all of those involved in this situation, that Fintan had no intention of harming you." Eric told her carefully, "I believe his intent when he tried to take you, was to protect you from Niall."

"What? No!" Sookie shook her head, "I saw..."

"Did you see _him_ plotting, or did you see him discovering Niall's intentions?" Eric asked. "Was Fintan the one trying to make Fae hybrids, or was that Niall? Did you just lump him in with Niall because it was his mind that you saw all of this from? How much of Fintan's involvement did you actually see? And how much of it did you assume?" Sookie was trembling, and he could feel the wheels in her head whirring around, trying to recall all the details. It was true that the time she had seen into Fintan's head had been short. She could have easily misinterpreted. She shook her head vehemently, at the notion.

"I... I killed someone who was tryin' to help me?" She asked despairingly.

Eric nodded, aching at her consuming sadness, "It made no sense that Fintan tried to take you when he did if he were in on the original scheme. I believe that he was hiding you from Niall. Severing all contact with your family so that your genealogy could not be traced back to him. I think he discovered Niall's knowledge of you and tried to find you. That is why he did not use your brother's blood to teleport onto my residence. Because he never had it." Sookie's eyes were filling with tears as he explained, and Eric wanted nothing more than to brush them away.

Still shaking her head in denial, Sookie swiped at accusatory tears. She had killed someone who had never done anything evil to her. How could he _not_ have known!? How could Fintan have been so ignorant of his granddaughter's situation?

"E-Eric?" She whispered miserably, "I-is there a reason Fintan didn't help me back then?"

"I cannot answer that for certain." He admitted, "But, I think he avoided your family all together. He probably believed the safest thing he could do for you was pretend you did not exist. I would not be surprised if he only became aware of the situation shortly before trying to recover you."

"But you're speculatin', right?" She asked hopefully, "You don't have any evidence to support your suspicions, right?"

"Sookie," Eric took her stiff shoulders in his hands, "whether I am right or not... No matter how much would not make sense if Fintan actually were involved... It is still a point that Niall can use to try and manipulate you."

Sookie began biting her nails, Pam's wrath be damned, "I actually killed an innocent man." Her fingers left her mouth to comb anxiously through her hair. "I killed my own blood."

"Sookie." Eric said her name firmly, "You had reason to suspect him, and you did not kill him voluntarily. It was an accident. It is no different than someone sneaking up on you while you are holding a loaded weapon."

"Does it matter?" She asked weakly.

"To me? No." Eric shook his head, "I have accidentally killed people. I have intentionally killed. On more than a few occasions, I have killed those who did not deserve death due to incomplete information." He was stroking her hair back into a smooth sheen once her fingertips stopped twisting and raking through it, "It is something you will need to come to terms with, but I will help you do that to the best of my abilities."

"What do you mean?" Sookie asked quietly.

Eric shrugged, "I see no fault of your own, and consider it a justified kill. I cannot understand your depression, which makes it difficult for me to know how to console you."

"I'm not used to bein' consoled." Sookie admitted, "Ever since I met you, I've rarely needed it. The few times I have, I always felt better when we had sex." Eric's eyebrows rose at that, "But," and now he was frowning, "my stomach's in all kinds of knots, and sex just doesn't feel like what I need." She remembered when Angie's former coven had rejected her, and asked carefully, "Can you just hold me for a bit?"

Eric smiled gently and pulled Sookie into his lap, wrapping his long, muscular arms around her. The girl rested her head against his chest, her twitchy little fingers worrying the material of his shirt as she was held.

"Sookie, I want you to think about something." Eric began slowly, "Think about if you could not read minds, or if you had not been able to read Fintan's. Based on the events that transpired in that brief encounter; a man, a stranger, suddenly appearing and attacking me. Your uncertainty about if I were injured. That stranger's attempt to take you away from me when he grabbed you. What do you _think_ you would have done if you had not seen into his head?"

Sookie was quiet for a long time. Genuinely, she had been worried about Eric in the first instant, and scared when Fintan had grabbed her. Sure, his thoughts had sent her fear skyrocketing, but she had already been intent on pushing him away. Had her interpretation of his thoughts given her the power needed to blow him up? She would never know for certain if she could have torn him apart like that without the fuel his mind's images had provided. Still, she would have used all of the energy available to her to push him away. Perhaps, she would have only sent him flying, had her thoughts not been in such disarray from fear and anxiety. Maybe they would have gotten a chance to speak. That did not matter, though. It was in the past, and there was nothing she could do to change the outcome.

"I probably would have done the same thing." She said, "I don't know if it would have killed him like it did if I hadn't seen his thoughts. I don't know that I would have had the amount of anger or fear without them. I don't know how much that affected the end result." Sookie broke her staring contest with Eric's shirt to look up into his eyes, "Why does that even matter?"

Eric smiled and petted her hair again, soothingly, "Because, even if you were misinformed, your instincts were the same. We would probably be in no different a position. We may or may not have gained an ally out of Fintan, but we would still be fighting the same battle." He was looking at her with a blend of worry and pride, "Despite it, you are right. It does not matter. What is, is what it is. We can only move forward and remove the last player from this most recent chess match."

"Time to get ready for checkmate?" Sookie raised her eyebrows.

"Yes. We will see if Niall tries to open a truce with Godric. If he does not... Well, we will need to find an opening to destroy him." Eric explained.

"You mean, you _want_ to work with Niall now?" Sookie asked.

"I want to end this." He replied firmly, "If we open a line of communication with Niall, we might be able to get him into the open."

"And if he doesn't?" Sookie pressed.

"We will think of something."

Their discussion was interrupted as Godric entered the room, "We will need a new security staff." He stated, "Can you begin appointing one?"

"Of course. Sookie, stay with Godric while I begin sorting out our house." He rose and kissed her forehead before leaving the room.

"Are you well, Little Sookie?" Godric took Eric's spot on the couch, and the girl scooted down to give him room.

"Yes. Eric told me that Fintan probably had no intention of hurtin' me. That he was more than likely tryin' to save me from Niall." She told him softly.

"Yes, I would have to agree with his assessment." Godric nodded.

"Why didn't any of you say somethin'?" She asked sadly.

"Sookie," Godric sighed, "I know that you believe that Eric and I are something akin to omniscient, but we are not. Sometimes it takes us a bit to work the pieces together. Other times, it is not in the best interest of our plans to make you aware of our knowledge."

"So, tellin' me I killed an innocent man was just inconvenient until now?" She spat, anger flaring inside of her.

"Yes." She looked at him, surprised that he would admit it, and her anger was snuffed by that shock, "We did not share this information with each other. We only arrived to the same conclusion. Whether it was simultaneously or not, I am not sure. There was no benefit in you knowing the possibility before we handled the direct threat that was the Queen's retaliation."

"When did you start to suspect?" Sookie asked.

"I think you suspected as well." Godric patted her hand, "Your dream that you succumbed to during your separation sickness did not have Fintan in it at all. Niall was present, although distantly, even your disgusting uncle. I do not know if your subconscious omitted Fintan from his lack of influence on you, or because, deep down, you never really saw him as the threat. Regardless, neither Eric, nor I, felt that telling you this was appropriate before we took the kingdom."

"Because you didn't want me distracted or second guessin' myself before we took the palace." Sookie finally understood.

"Correct."

Cupping her chin in her hands, Sookie stared off at the wall before speaking once again, "I don't really know how I feel about what I've done." She was talking now, not necessarily to Godric, though. Part of her hoped that he would have _something_ to say, but she was unsure what she was hoping to hear, "Eric said that even if Fintan meant to help me, killin' him was a justifiable defense. He said it was like sneakin' up on someone holdin' a loaded gun. Still, I can't tell what this feelin' in my chest is. Am I upset that he was innocent, or am I upset that I don't feel bad about it, or not bad enough? Is there a "bad enough" to feel? In a few months, I've gone from bein' pretty much helpless, hopeless, to whatever the hell it is I am now. If anythin', I think what I did to Fintan scares me. I've become this whole new person, and I'm not sure if the person I am is strong enough to have the power I have." She turned her hazy stare on to Godric, "Eric would tell me he loves me, and that I can do anythin'. But, you've always been straight with me, Godric. Do you think I'm too damaged to have this kind of strength? Do you think I'll become somethin' bad, somethin' like Niall? Could I become someone so impartial to everyone else that I couldn't care less about them livin' or dyin' so long as I get what _I_ want?"

Godric stared at her contemplatively for a moment, "You are so very young, Sookie. Eric is right, you could do anything. I do not believe that you could become Niall, though. Perhaps you are still growing into the control of you gifts, but that does not mean you are not a strong enough person to wield them. Your damage, as you put it, might be what lets you maintain your humanity. It gave you the ability to be a bit callous, but it is a side of you that I have never personally seen. Honestly, with all of the manipulations of your past, and the current threats against you, I am not surprised that you have adopted a darker persona to deal with it. Perhaps you will shed that identity once Niall is finally out of your life."

"When we first met you told me not to lose my inner light." Sookie's voice was a whisper.

"I remember." He nodded.

"Can you... Can you remind me of that now and again?" She asked shyly.

"As often as you need." Godric smiled, and watched as Sookie stood up and walked about the den. There was a piano angled off center of the room and the girl sat on the bench before it. Her hands pressed a few keys down experimentally, "Do you play?"

"No." Sookie shook her head, "I always liked the piano, though. I have this really old memory, sometimes I wonder if it's real or not. Back when I lived with my mother, father, and Jason; there was a piano in the study. Daddy pretended he hated it there because mamma would always play while he was tryin' to work. I knew that he liked it, though. Me and Jason would sit in the middle of the floor, daddy would be at his desk workin' and mamma would play and as often as all the furniture in that room got shuffled and rearranged, the piano never moved. Not once. I guess mamma and daddy thought it was too heavy and too much of a hassle to move. I don't know why, but the piano has always been like a weird, immoveable object. Somethin' that is always the same, always where it should be."

"You know, Eric can play the piano." Godric came and sat beside her on the bench, "I can as well. Pamela never took to it. She never liked to play music, though she appreciates listening to it. Perhaps you should have Eric teach you to play."

"Why?" Sookie asked.

"It might make you feel closer to your family." Godric answered.

"Why would I want that?" She stood up and walked away from the bench.

"Sookie," Godric shook his head, "if you continue to push this hard, how can you hope to move on? Your past is so dark." He insisted, "If you do not accept that, and try and find some light within it, you could risk letting your darkness consume you."

Her hands flew up in the air, trying to be dismissive, but only managing to come across as overwhelmed, "I exist alongside vampires. Shouldn't I _be_ dark?"

"Eric is in love with your light. He has had more than enough shadow to sate him for the rest of his existence. We all have."

Letting out a dissatisfied growl, Sookie turned to look at the oldest of the Gahl line, "It means nothin' to me now." She insisted, "Jason's the only one left, and the only one that matters to me."

"After everything you have learned over the last couple of days, are you still so insistent about that?" Godric asked, not believing it one bit, "You have discovered that your entire family had been glamoured into shunning you. Are you trying to tell me that a part of your heart is not aching to know what could have been?"

Leaning against the wall now, Sookie bowed her head as she spoke, "Of course, part of me wants to fantasize about what my life would have been like if Niall and his pawns hadn't intervened, but if I had spent my entire life goin' over all the "what ifs", I really would have gone crazy. It's just easier not to wonder."

"Sookie," Godric came to meet her at the wall, "please, stop moving away from me."

The girl looked up and met his gaze, "My whole life I thought about how wonderful it would be to find someone like me. Or hope that there would be an explanation for what I am. I have that story, and I know my origin, but it doesn't make me feel better. Actually, I think it makes me feel worse. Because, what I am wasn't even good enough for my kind. I'm a half-breed, not even! I'm like a quarter breed, or whatever fraction of fae and witch I am. I'm a mutt." She swiped at a type of tear she had not shed in years. A tear formed from dismay over her otherness, "What am I? What am I even good for?"

"You are good for Eric." Godric answered, "You are his Bonded, and the love of his existence."

"I want a purpose." She said quietly, "I want my existence to mean somethin' other than that. I love Eric, I want to be with him forever. That will never change, but..."

"You want to have meaning. You want to exist for more than that now." Godric was smiling, "I am glad."

"What? You're not mad that I'm sayin' that Eric alone isn't enough?" She looked at him in surprise.

"Yes." Godric nodded, "You have never existed for anyone or anything but Eric. Everyone needs something to move them. They cannot live for another. Eric has motivations outside of you. He has his Child, his responsibilities as Sheriff, his strange fascination with business and economics." He smirked at that last part. Indeed, Eric had been the one to blow up Godric's own financial power. "He is also a warrior. He exists for battle and conflicts. They are his life sized chess matches."

"What is your motion?" Sookie asked.

"I did not have one for a long time. For a while I contemplated ending my own existence. However, when the Council announced that vampires would come out into the public eye, I viewed it as an opportunity to help bridge the gap between mortals and immortals. I ache for the opportunity to unite the worlds of light and darkness. That is my motivation now." Godric told her, "Do not despair over this, Sookie. Be patient. Grow. Learn. You will find your life, or your life will find you." He was smiling wholeheartedly now, "We will help you meet it when you do."

"Thanks, Godric. I'm glad you talked with me about it. As far as feelin' close to my old life... I think I just want to be a sister to Jason. I'd rather live in the present, and not try and yearn for the possibilities of the past." She told him.

"I respect that." Godric nodded, "I know that you feel conflicted about talking to Eric over such things, that you do not wish to hurt him by telling him that you need more. Though I can truthfully assure you that you would in no way upset him if you were to talk to him about it; if it makes you more comfortable, you may always speak to me."

"Thank you." Sookie smiled back up at him, "I'll remember that, and I'll try to talk with my Bonded, too." Turning thoughtful, the girl asked, "How many vampires live in Louisiana?"

Godric was surprised by the sudden question, "I am not certain. I could check the census but, Eric would know more than I."

"Roughly 800, but I have not checked the overall populace in a while." Eric returned to the den, "About two hundred made an appearance tonight. Due to the spontaneity of our overtaking, it is understandable that the word did not get spread quickly enough for all of my supporters to make it. There is also a chance that some disbelieved the authenticity of the summoning, seeing as it came from Charles."

"But a formal announcement is being made shortly, and the remaining supporters will pledge their loyalty afterwards." Godric told her, "I should only need a couple hundred more supporters to assure that the Council accepts my newest role in the hierarchy."

"Yes, Eric explained some of that to me last night." Sookie nodded, "How long are we goin' to be down here?"

"A few months." Eric answered, "We want to be certain that Godric is settled in and secure before departing."

"What about your sleep patterns?" Sookie pressed.

"I will only remain king for a century or so." Godric shrugged, "I can remain in my cache during the day and make sure that it is large enough that I do not get bored. Perhaps I will get a cat."

Sookie snorted on a laugh, "A cat?"

"Yes." Godric did not find the humor. Instead, he turned to Eric, "Have you engaged a security team?"

"I have. There is a group of Weres that have agreed to oversee the ground's security until we can make more appropriate arrangements. I know of a private military group comprised of Weres, but contracting them is time consuming, and will need to be done through the private channels. I will have them engaged for you well before we depart." Crossing his arms over his chest, Eric continued, "I would like to suggest that you take Dana into your court. She is well learned in the state's situation, and I am sure she will be invaluable to your needs as a new monarch."

"She will not be resistant towards me, seeing as she was fond of Sophie-Anne?" Godric was surprised.

"She is beholden to me over the former Queen. She loved Sophie-Anne, but she cared more about me, which was why she willingly spied on André. And seeing as the former Queen would have murdered her without a second thought last night, I am certain she will be quite loyal to you." Eric assured.

"Perhaps she can direct me in other appropriate vampires to appoint to my court." Godric was thoughtful.

"I am certain that she can." His Child agreed.

Sookie was listening to the pair setting up their logistics when she felt a recently familiar mind approaching the gate. The same golden mind she had met the night before, "Octavia is here. Shall I go greet her? She is at the gate." She announced.

"I will go with you." Eric smiled at her, taking Sookie's arm and entwining it with his own as they strolled out of the room.

Octavia was still standing at the open gate when Sookie and Eric arrived outside. She smiled warmly at the telepath, and the blond nodded in greeting with her own smile.

"It's good to see you again so soon." Sookie smirked.

"Yes, well, I warned you that you would be seeing me again." Octavia chuckled. "I take it that you had Ludwig contact me to ward the estate?"

"Yes." Eric let the woman take stride with them as they turned back towards the building.

"I brought my items with me. I did not expect to be needed for this so soon, but I came prepared." Octavia patted the bulging bag at her hip.

"Can I watch?" Sookie asked.

"Of course. I told you I would start teaching you magic when I came to ward the new property." Octavia laughed.

"Can I ask you somethin' about the wards you can do?"

"Certainly."

"Well, is there magic that can be done to bypass the wards? Specifically where fairies are concerned?" There was a tentativeness to Sookie's inquiry.

"Yes. There is a blood magic done. I believe the Fae call it lema 'ed templa en agar. Which means teleport to blood. It is common for Fae to carry vials of blood of their dear ones so that if a loved one is taken, they can reach them no matter the wards. If the practitioner is strong enough, sometimes they can use a close relative's blood of the other's intended target."

"Like a fairy could use my brother's blood?" Sookie already knew this.

"Ah, you are part Fae." Octavia realized, "Well, your brother's blood would be sufficient for a strong enough magician. Does your brother have fairy traits?"

"He has physical fae qualities. He is quite beautiful." Eric answered, "But his scent is nothing resembling that of a fairy. Sookie's is much more noticeable, though not immediately recognizable as fae."

"That's a bit more tricky. The odds go down a lot if he has no fairy magic of his own. I suppose if one were desperate enough, they would try it, but without the magic, the link might not be strong enough to get through even a standard teleportation ward. Definitely not a reinforced one."

"Reinforced?" Sookie liked the sounds of that.

"Yes. With a bit more time and energy, a ward can be reinforced against more specific uninvited entrances. Teleportation could be negated entirely, unless you're like Ludwig and have that talisman of hers. There's only two of those in existence!"

"Who has the other one?" Sookie tilted her head curiously.

Octavia shrugged, "The Council or Pantheon, probably."

"Oh... Could you do a reinforced ward for us, please? A powerful fairy has my brother's blood, and I'd rather not risk it. That fairy's not very happy with me, you see." Sookie explained.

"I can do that. I will need your assistance for it, though. I'm getting old and don't think I have enough energy to do it alone." Octavia looked at Eric carefully, "I will need to lay hands on her to use her energy. Is that acceptable?" She asked.

"For the sake of the ward, then yes." Eric nodded in agreement.

"I will teach you how to perform the ward as well, so that you may apply it to other locations if need be." Octavia told the telepath, "With your Bonded's permission, and your cooperation, I believe I should begin training you on your other gifts. Are you interested in being a practicing witch?"

Sookie was hesitant a moment, "Honestly, I don't know. I mean, I want to control my abilities with more ease and use them with better judgement rather than so impulsively. Bein' able to do wards is also a cool idea, too. I don't know what all I want to learn, and I'm not sure if I'd be a good student for it."

"Because your lack of faith in a Higher Power?" Octavia guessed. Casting her eyes to the floor, Sookie gave a silent nod that the woman was correct. The witch smiled gently, a hint of sadness in her upturned lips, "I understand your hesitation. We will see what you are capable of first, and progress accordingly."

"Okay."

"Let's begin with the ward, since it is the most persistent problem at hand."

**TBC**

**PLEASE REMEMBER TO REVIEW, AND I WILL BE BACK AGAIN SOON WITH THE NEXT ARC!**

**-ANDI**


	20. Chapter 20

Keep Me

_A/N: Guess who is back! I could not stay away from all of you loyal readers for long, and with thanks from my beta Nerdygirl, I managed to get back on the proverbial horse and get some good old fashioned writing done! I hope that you enjoy the new chapter, everyone!_

_-Andi_

**Chapter Twenty:**

Sookie smiled excitedly as Eric pulled his Corvette into the freshly paved driveway of their new home. "A few months" had become nearly a year by the time Godric had his court in order and any signs of displeasure over his ruling were quelled. Now it was almost February, and Eric's new property had a beautiful, single story, French colonial resting far from the road on the couple of acres he had purchased.

Pam had been instrumental in overseeing the execution of the house's construction. She was going back and forth from the property and New Orleans for several months after Eric and Sookie had both agreed on a blueprint. Pictures were taken and e-mailed to Eric who showed his excited Bonded the steps it took for the house to come to life. A few of those pictures included Jason waving to the camera, hardhat on his head and thick leather gloves on his flailing hand. Eric had chosen his, for lack of a better word, brother-in-law's firm to build the house. It had surprised Eric to know that Jason Stackhouse was a head contractor for Jackson Herveaux's construction company. He had thought he was more aware of the Were's subordinates than that.

"It looks beautiful!" Sookie cooed as they came up to the garage. "I can't wait to see it in the daytime. The color looks just like I hoped it would!" She had chosen a pretty blue for the siding, and the masonry work was a ashy toned granite. Since it was still winter, the landscaping looked a bit underwhelming, but they both knew that in the spring it would be breath taking.

"Do you like it? Better than the pictures?" Eric asked as he came around to open Sookie's door for her.

The girl took his hand as he helped her from the vehicle and gave that hand a good squeeze, "It's the best!" She assured, pulling him up to the front door, "Let's go in this way. I want to see it from the beginnin' not startin' at the kitchen."

Eric laughed and let himself be lead to the door. Finding the freshly cut key to the front entrance, he opened it and found the light switch quickly and bathed the foyer in a brilliant, warm glow. Before Sookie could step into the house, Eric reached out for her and hoisted her into his arms over the threshold.

"I love it when you do cheesy stuff like that." She giggled against his chest before turning her chin up to ask, silently, for a kiss. His lips met hers without delay, holding her in his arms as his mouth moved against hers. "Mmm," she hummed against his lips, "I should put up that ward, then we can do the tour."

"Yes. You are not too tired from the trip?" He asked.

"No, I'm fine." She assured, dropping to her feet as her Bonded slid her small frame down his chest and to the floor. Walking through the archway into the main hall, she continued on into the formal living room to begin casting.

The telepath made quick work, or as quick as could be expected considering the energy and time the spell took, to place the ward upon the new property. Though Octavia had needed time to prepare herself, Sookie had enough strength and energy to begin the casting without preparation. This had astounded the elderly witch during their practices, and she had shook her head in both amusement and utter amazement.

"Do you need to rest now?" Eric asked, brushing his fingers over her hair that was gathered at the nape of her neck once she had finished her task.

The girl was thoughtful a moment before shaking her head, "I want to look around the house first." She cooed, her eyes big with excitement.

"All right." He gestured his hands, "You have seen enough of this room, I take it?" He took her small hand in his and took a right out of the formal gathering room. A double door on the left took them to a large dining room, which Sookie had begged him to include. Though her family was small, and most did not eat real food, a part of her yearned for having a place to gather on holidays, and maybe have guests to share festivities with. An archway further down the hall and to the right lead to a good size kitchen with a breakfast nook and connected openly to a TV room. A French door was in the back of the living room that lead to the pool she could not wait to see the next morning. They paused only briefly to look in the utility room with its washer, dryer and cleaning supplies. Next they checked out the two spare bedrooms that were down a separate hallway.

Doubling back, the pair peaked into the study, several large bookcases now housing the ones Pam had transferred from Eric's old residence. There were two desks sat looking across from one another, both with computers and a plump settee flanked by two wingback chairs. A handcrafted chess table sat near a bay window, tempting another round between the couple. However, they left the study and continued to the final room.

"Oh my God..." Sookie mumbled as Eric opened the door to the master bedroom. "This is absolutely perfect!" She cried, lunging for the familiar bed from Eric's safe room. The room was almost a perfect replica of their room back at the old house. She noticed a few changes, though. There were windows in this bedroom, and a set of French doors that opened on to a lanai. The dresser was gone, and in its place was a door. "What's in there?" She asked, pointing from the bed.

"That is the entrance to the bathroom." He told her, flopping onto the bed, "There is a door beyond that which is the toilet, and then the door just after that is a rather spacious closet that Pam managed to max out three of my credit cards filling up." Taking her leg into his large hand, massaging the back of her calf, he continued, "And I believe you now have a department store's worth of shoes to break in."

"Is this the same mattress?" Sookie asked.

"No. The furniture is new, it merely looks the same. I wanted everything to be new, a fresh start together. But I was aware of your connection to our bedroom, and wanted to at least give you a bit of familiarity." He bent over to kiss her leg as he finished rubbing it.

"You treat me so well." She leaned in to capture his lips, "What do you say we break in our new bed?" Sookie bit her lip suggestively.

With a gentle rumble of his chest, Eric crawled up the length of her body, his mouth seeking out his lover's along the way while Sookie was leaning back further and further. When Sookie was lying back against the bed, his lips finally pressed to hers, and Eric allowed his weight to envelope the small body beneath him.

"Mmmm." She sighed at the familiar weight, snaking his arms about Eric's neck to hold his mouth to hers. Their bodies undulated slowly at first while they kissed, but soon, hands began to wander, and lips began to roam.

"Ahh." She exalted as Eric's lips began to travel down her throat, along her chest, and his fingers began undoing the front of her dress. His teeth found a hardening nipple through the thin lace of her bra. Nibbling and sucking through the material, Eric groaned when Sookie's hips arched against his stomach impatiently. "Oooh!" She groaned as he gave a harder tug than usual, her fingers grasping for the long locks that flowed from Eric's scalp. He gave a low, impassioned snarl as she pulled at his hair. "Oh my God." She gasped at the noise he had made, feeling it all the way to her sex. That was now her favorite sound to hear from his mouth.

The vampire did not miss the response his snarl had elicited, and he stowed this development away. He would be sure to make her work for that noise in the future. Her nails were dancing sensuously against his scalp now, and it made his eyes feel lazy. Sometimes he had to wonder if she had turned him into her pet in the last year. That idea made him pause.

"Sookie." He pulled away, much to the girl's disappointment.

"Wha?" She asked dazedly at the sudden change in pace.

"Do you know what tomorrow is?" He asked happily.

"What?" Her brow furrowed as she thought.

"Tomorrow is exactly one year from the day I brought you home with me."

"Really?" Her eyes brightened at the news, "That makes me sound like a lost kitten or something." She giggled.

"You seemed like a timid rabbit to me. The way you trembled at first, and how every sudden noise made you jump out of your skin..." He kissed her shoulder and gave it a brief nip.

"I like that we moved into our new home so close to when I first came to live with you last year." She pulled him into a long embrace, her legs wrapping around his narrow, muscular torso. "But I'm not a virgin this time, so get that beautiful butt of yours in gear!" Her legs flexed to emphasize her need by pulling his pelvis against her own harshly.

Eric laughed and dove in for another kiss before he began his slow torture of his exploring mouth on the rest of her body. As his lips came to her needy sex, the vampire took one of her hands in his, placing it gently on her mound. Sookie tensed slightly, but Eric knew that she would. Their year together was unneeded for him to know that touching herself was still a difficult thing for her to do. The first time he had attempted coaxing his Bonded to try had resulted in a complete breakdown and ended any sexual explorations for the evening. Now, nearly six months later, he wanted to try and ease her once again into being able to gratify herself.

Despite her sexual prowess, Sookie's experience with her late guardian's deviances had left her scarred mentally. Eric had come to recognize her aversion quickly, but still wished to liberate her from the hindrances Hale had instilled.

Leaving her hand to rest on her pelvis, his own palm covering the back of it, Eric's tongue lavished her wetness with its own. The woman arched at his ministration, eyes squinting shut at the sensations he provoked.

"Keep your eyes on me, Lover." Eric murmured gently. He wished for her to see him as he taught her to pleasure herself, not wanting her mind's eye to wander and recall the man that had forced her to fondle her intimate area. Sookie's eyes strained to remain opened, and she gazed down at him, reaching with her free hand for a pillow to prop herself up and keep her stare trained on him.

His hand that rested upon hers began to pull her tiny digits closer to her swollen clit. His lips kissed her fingertips as his tongue swiped at them, providing extra moisture as they came in contact with her excited, little bud. Gently, at first, he manipulated her hand to circle her clit, and she groaned as his tongue continued to flicker eagerly against those fingers. "Mmmm," she hummed as she began to find a pace.

Chancing a glance at her face, Eric saw her lip worrying between her teeth. "Calm, Lover." He soothed between tentative strokes of his tongue. Sookie nodded jerkily, still with her lip between her teeth. Eric sent as much assurance and calm as he could, lacing it with his desire. Slowly, that burdened lip worked its way from the clenched pearls of her teeth, and Sookie's hand cautiously began to play between her folds. "Good girl." Eric kissed her inner thigh reassuringly.

A bit bolder now, Sookie fingered her swollen bud, letting her thoughts be lost in Eric's silent coaxing. The way he kissed the back of her hand as it tickled her fingers, how he licked her inner thigh hungrily, it all helped her movements become more confident. When she choked on the tiniest of moans, Eric growled approvingly, and nearly began to pant as her movements became more frantic.

"Yes, Sookie." He bit her thigh with his blunt teeth, "Just like that, Lover." He growled, making the girl moan again. "My Sookie." Another nibble and the girl arched against her palm with a soft cry.

The vampire kissed her limp hand as she panted above him, her legs trembling as he licked her fingers clean of her juices.

"I... Still..." she gasped between breaths, "Like it... Better... When you... Do it."

Eric threw his head back and laughed before crawling up the length of her body and kissing her soundly.

"Thank you." She sighed against his lips.

"It was all you, Lover." He assured her.

Pulling away gently, she narrowed her eyes at him, "No. It was you." Her back arched quickly as Eric's hips shifted and pushed his length deep within her, "Ah! Th-that wasn't fair." She groaned, her hands gripping his shoulders at the sudden intrusion, but welcoming it all the same as her hips tilted to meet his.

"I like watching you touch yourself," Eric murmured into her ear as he began rocking gently against her, "Knowing that you wish it were me doing it... It is intoxicating." He was nibbling on her shoulder now as Sookie held his upper arms tightly.

She groaned as he filled her over and over again. Her body moved in accompaniment to his with the practiced grace of someone who had come to know another's body better than her own. Sookie arched as he collided with her body, and he curled into her to meld their bodies together as she did.

Eric could not recall a time that he had enjoyed the continued company of a human for this long. True, Sookie was not entirely human, but then again, he could not think of a time he had ever enjoyed the company of a fairy for this long, either. For as much as she complicated his existence; she made it that much easier. Sookie relieved the tedium of a thousand years, but made all strives worth overcoming.

As he made love to her, for whatever time he had lost track of long ago, it always felt familiar and new at the same instance. He knew how her body would respond to his touches, but the noises that her lips formed were like listening to a favorite song. A song that made you want to sing along. And he did, with his own responding growls and groans.

As they peaked, Eric snarled into her ear, making a pleasurable shutter ache down her spine, "Mmm," She sighed happily, her arms encircling his neck and holding him close. "Tell me we'll always be this way." She murmured.

"You know that we will." He answered, kissing her temple lovingly.

Over the course of their months as a Bonded pair, they had discovered although Eric and his vampire bloodline could stay aware indefinitely, Sookie's mortal body needed reprieves. She slept very little, and could remain awake for days at a time without signs of fatigue. However, sleep was required for at least one day out of the week. Sometimes, when stressed, Sookie's body demanded more than a single night's sleep, and a few hours of napping were called for.

Eric let his lover gather those needed hours now, and went to his study to familiarize himself with the goings on of Area 5 in his absence. Luis had been able to handle both his area and Eric's during the time he had been needed elsewhere, and had left a full report waiting in Eric's e-mail inbox.

Reading through the information quickly, Eric was delighted to find that there were no situations needing his attention. Luis had been a good choice for his delegations, and this pleased the Viking. The last thing he wanted while settling Sookie into their new home was drama of the vampire political nature.

It was almost ten in the morning when Sookie came stumbling into his study, bleary eyed and a little dazed. "Mornin'." She mumbled curling in a wing backed chair.

"Good morning." Eric replied, rising from his desk chair to come over and kiss her crown, "Are you feeling all right?" He asked, noticing her puffy eyes and a peculiar dissatisfaction in the Bond.

"Period's comin' up." She grumbled, drawing her knees closer to her chest.

"Ah." He knelt in front of her chair, kissing her knee, "Would you like some of my blood?" They had discovered that his blood dulled the ache of her womb, though vampiric magic could not help the hormonal implications of her menstrual cycle.

No words were needed when her doe eyes gazed at him beseechingly, and he pricked his finger on an elongated fang before offering it to her. She suckled it greedily before sighing in relief, "Thank you." She murmured when the wound had closed, and her legs uncoiled from around her chest. "I was wonderin' if we were busy tonight?"

"Not as of yet."

"I wanted to call Angie and see if she would be interested in meetin' up." She began tentatively, "We've really only ever talked on the phone, and..."

"After being surrounded by vampires for so long, you wanted to rejoin the human race?" Eric guessed with a knowing smile, "I am surprised that you do not wish to see your brother?"

The girl shrugged a little defensively, "I'm a bit nervous about seein' him right now." She admitted.

"Why is that?" Eric already knew.

"I haven't been around people in a while. Octavia was the only one, but she always hid her thoughts from me. She knew how to do that and I'm nervous that I won't be able to block after bein' away from humans for so long." She explained.

"And you would rather not accidentally pry into your brother's head." Eric finished for her.

"I don't want to risk losin' the illusion that he's only got good thoughts about me." She agreed.

"All right. Call your Witch, and we will see if she is amicable to meeting us this evening." Eric nodded before standing up straight once more and going to his desk. "Try and get her to join us earlier in the evening. Though it is not set in stone, I would like to spend some of the later evening addressing my neglected duties as Sheriff."

Sookie nodded before leaving the study to retrieve the phone in the den. Flopping onto the chaise that rested just beyond a coffee table in front of the stone cold fireplace, Sookie dialed one of two phone numbers she used; the other's being Jason's cell.

"_Hello?"_

"Hi, Angie, it's Sookie." Sookie smiled as she spoke to the witch for the first time in weeks.

"_Hey, Sugar! How are you?" _Angie sounded happy to hear from her.

"Good. Back in Shreveport." The girl replied.

"_Really?! Do you want to hang out?"_ Sookie laughed at the suggestion since that was exactly what she wanted.

"Yes, actually, that's why I was callin'." She beamed, "We haven't talked face to face since before I went to live in New Orleans."

"_I know!"_ The other woman sounded as though she were pouting, _"I was afraid you would never come back, but at least you called me regularly."_

"That's true. So, where would you like to meet, and its okay that Eric will be with me, right?" Sookie asked tentatively.

"_Of course it's okay!"_ Angie laughed as though it would be completely unthinkable to have Sookie go anywhere without her vampire half. _"Why don't we meet at Ranchester Café? I know how much you like your coffee."_

"Sounds great. Can we meet early tonight? Eric might have some business to attend to later this evenin'." She explained.

"_Sure. I think sunset is around 6. You two should be able to get anywhere in Shreveport within a half hour, so 6:30 at Ranchester?"_ Angie suggested.

"Perfect! See you tonight!" Sookie was grinning from ear to ear as she hung up the phone and went dancing back to the study. Eric was sitting at his desk once again, a telltale smirk on his face. He had been listening.

"I am glad to see you so happy." He pushed away from his desk as Sookie came loping over to perch in his awaiting lap. "6:30 at the Ranchester Café?"

"Yes." Sookie nodded as she nuzzled into his chest.

"That leaves us some time, then." He tilted her chin back for a kiss, "What would you like to do?"

Again, words were not needed as she took his lips with a heated want. They spent the remainder of the morning, and most of the afternoon making love all throughout their new home before it was time for them to prepare for their evening out.

"You look radiant, Sookie." Eric smiled encouragingly at his woman while she fidgeted in front of the mirror self-consciously. She was wearing a navy blue dress with white trim at the sweetheart neckline and short sleeved cuffs. The full skirt accentuated her hips that had finally begun to fill in.

Together they went to the garage, and Eric handed her the keys to the little sedan that was parked next to his Corvette, "Would you like to drive?"

Sookie gave him an astonished, though excited look. He had begun teaching her to drive while they were living in New Orleans, but it was very rare that he handed over the keys.

"Yes!" She grinned, snatching away the keys with delight. Eric chuckled and got in the passenger's side of the BMW while his Bonded slid into the driver's seat, buckling in quickly. Cautiously, she pulled out of the garage, blushing when she overran the driveway by a little bit.

Soon, they were on the road, Eric giving her directions to the café they were going to be meeting Angie at. He could feel through their Bond how anxious she was, despite her initial enthusiasm. Luckily, they made it to the establishment without hindrance, and Sookie pulled expertly into an empty parking spot. When she was out of the car, she dove into Eric's arms and hugged him thankfully before pushing the keys into her little, white purse.

"Check your shields." Eric reminded her as he gave her a small kiss.

Sookie did as he told her, and secured her mental barriers before they walked to the buildings entrance. They got a table by a window, Eric with his back to the wall, gazing out the glass wearily. She knew that he was still anticipating an attack from Niall, but she had to wonder why Eric would believe the Fairy Prince would bother walking through the front door. Still, she supposed that he was being diligent in his caution, and could not fault him for that.

The young woman ordered a dark roast coffee, and delighted when it came to her and she drank it greedily after adding some cream and sugar.

"Deja vu..." Sookie mumbled as she sipped her coffee a bit slower.

"What is that, Lover?" Eric asked, playing with her tiny fingers.

Sookie shrugged, "Sittin' in a coffee shop, waitin' on a witch. I hope this night ends better than the last time." She laughed towards the end of her reverie. "I don't expect Pam will be in the mood to hand out another hug if it doesn't."

Eric smirked. He would have paid to have seen his Pam consoling a weeping Sookie. However, since he did not like the idea of seeing Sookie cry, it was, hopefully, not a circumstance he would be privy to witnessing.

"Here comes your witch." Eric told her, and Sookie looked up in time to See a familiar girl walking past the window. Angie had changed quite a bit. Not in fashion, but her hair was no longer black and green, now it was platinum blonde with a purple peek-a-boo framing either side of her face. Sookie had to giggle at herself. If nothing else, Angie at least kept her look fresh.

"Hey, Sooks!" Angie beamed as she caught sight of the giant Viking in the corner, and then saw the tiny woman seated beside him, "Evening, Viking." Eric raised his eyebrows at her nickname for him. "Jeeez, you're even bigger than I remembered." She huffed, collapsing into a chair near Sookie. "It's a miracle that Sooks can even walk the next morning with a big ol' stud like you rolling around with her every night!"

Eric shook his head at the witch's antics. Though he had not forgotten Angie's absence of a filter, he was out of practice at being spoken to in such a manner. "You have been well, Angie?" He asked disinterestedly.

"Yup. Work, bills, and spells. No real changes, other than the hair. I think I'm on color 5 since I last saw you." She grinned at Sookie, "So, what's been happening with you, Sugar?"

"Well, Eric and I just moved into our new house last night." Sookie told her, "It's really big, and there's a pool out back, but I haven't gotten to swim in it yet, 'cause it's still too cold."

"You have a _pool_? You're so lucky." Angie pouted. "Now, tell me about this Octavia woman. What'd she teach you? Can you teach _me_ anything new? Was she nice to you?"

Sookie giggled at the grilling her friend was giving her, but responded to the questions in kind, "She taught me about wards and mostly protection spells. I could probably teach you a few of them, but I don't think you'd have much use for the ones I focused on learnin'. She was _very_ nice to me; she was even nice to Eric and his bloodline."

"That's cool. I'm glad that I'm not the only witch that is mellow with vamps. Well besides you, but you don't count because you were over the moon for one before you knew you were a witch." Angie chuckled, "And you said Octavia could block her thoughts from you?"

Sookie frowned, "Yeah that was something she was teachin' me to do too. I don't know why _exactly_, but she made it seem like there could be others like me? I don't know. But you know how I said that different creature's minds have a different color and tone?" Angie nodded, "Well, Octavia's mind was golden. It was like a fine layer of metal surrounded it like a shield, and only let the sounds resonate within it. I guess I say "gold" because even though I couldn't hear her thoughts, she still felt warm and inviting. A part of me knew I didn't need to be afraid just because I couldn't hear her."

Angie smirked, "Your intuition was speaking to you."

The other girl shrugged, "I suppose it could be that. I've only trusted my instincts a few times without the additional aid of my gift." She squeezed Eric's hand lovingly, "I think it's done me good so far." Eric smiled down at his Bonded, sending her a fresh wave of love at her declaration.

They chatted like that for a while, and Sookie was halfway through her second cup of coffee when she began to feel warm. She took off her white, knit throw and fanned herself with her hand.

"You okay, Sugar?" Angie reached forward to touch Sookie's forehead, but stopped at the glare from Eric. "Oh, right. Bonded. No touching." She grimaced apologetically. "Sorry."

Sookie gave her head a little shake, as if trying to clear it, "I feel weird." She said breathlessly.

"Weird how?" Angie asked.

There was a long pause, Sookie's mouth slightly gaping as she watched Angie's lips moving, "Like... Your lips are movin', but the sounds comin' from it slower than they move..." Sookie tried to explain, but her words were sluggish, almost drunken. "I think... I'm gonna be sick..."

Despite not being allowed to touch her, Angie helped Sookie stand up and took her off to the ladies' room. She managed to get Sookie's head over a toilet in time for the girl to vomit, as well as pull the blonde hair from her face as her body shook with the force of her retching.

Although Angie had no intention of watching the girl vomit, she could not help but notice that the liquid spewing from the girl's lips was red. Not blood red, like she had ingested vampire blood, or like she had ruptured an ulcer. It was bright red, tingeing on towards pink, a color that a stomach full of coffee would not regurgitate.

"Sookie-" Angie began, but was unable to finish as a loud ***POP*** sounded in the tiny room, and a blast of light sent her flying forward. Her head cracked against the tiled wall above the toilet tank. Sookie managed to recoil back from the bowl and avoid having Angie fall on top of her.

Still delirious, Sookie turned slowly to see a tall man standing in the door of the stall. Though she had never met him, he was familiar to her. She had seen his face many times in the minds of different people. Eric and Godric both had shown her this face with their telepathic connection. Though he was old, and his hair and beard were silver with the apparent age, his eyes were more alert than any his age should be. They were cold, calculating, and maybe more than a little smug.

"You have many immunities to things that would kill or debilitate most fairies. However, even you succumb to the crippling effects of haspberries." He laughed.

"Niall..." Sookie tried to focus, to push him away, but she was too weakened by whatever it was Niall had slipped her. She tried to think of how he had managed it, and began cursing her coffee order.

"Now, it's time to take you home at last." Niall reached for her.

Sookie tried to scramble away, but Angie's unconscious body was lying between her and the space between the stall wall and the floor.

With all of her remaining strength, Sookie shouted telepathically to her bloodline, '_NIALL HAS ME!'_

Niall's hand reaching for her was the last thing she saw before the world became narrow and dark, and then there was nothing.

Eric burst through the bathroom door in time to hear the distinct ***POP*** of a supernatural. Though he knew he was too late, he still searched the bathroom for his Bonded. In a momentary instance, he felt her reappear several miles away, and then there was nothing.

He could no longer feel Sookie. Not just her location was a mystery, but also her emotional state. Eric could not tell if she was injured, or how scared she was, and it was killing him. Pacing the tiled floor like a caged tiger, Eric snarled to himself as he searched the Bond for any emotion that was not his own. Instead, all he found was emptiness where her heart used to beat alongside his still one.

It was as if Niall had reached inside his own chest and extracted his heart or syphoned his very soul from his body. Could pain like this exist? He had lost limbs on the battlefield before and regrown them painfully over time. He had been burned by daylight and chained in silver before. He had been staked through the eye and continued to battle and not been in as much agony as he shouldered now.

"Uhng..." A distressed murmur came from the floor, and Eric glanced down and saw Angie rising slowly, holding her throbbing head. She let out a pitiful cry as she was dragged from the ground and slammed against the stall wall, sending it flying from its brackets to crash against the floor. "Ah!" She let out a strangled scream, grasping Eric's forearm, recoiling at the blazing eyes of the demon before her. "Please..." She whimpered, her feet flailing fruitlessly for solid ground, her arms flexing as she tried to brace some of her weight on his arm rather than let him hold the bulk of it by her throat.

"You took her from my sight." Eric snarled, his eyes flaming tongues of ice, "You put her in danger, and now she has been taken because of you!" He flung her like a rag doll across the bathroom where she crashed into the opposite wall.

Angie let out another cry, gripping her side that had smashed into the hard tiles. "Eric, please!" The witch moaned, "I didn't know! I'm sorry, I didn't know!" She sobbed on the floor, her body aching all over from being thrown around by first Niall, and now Eric. "Please..." She begged, breathless from her worried tears.

The vampire straightened up, "If I do not get her back," he turned toward the door, "I will kill you."

With that, Eric left the room and the café, leaving the broken woman to lie on the bathroom floor until another human came and found her ten minutes later. Distantly, he recognized the use of a silencing charm. Niall had enchanted the ladies' washroom so that what took place within the walls of the room, could not be heard by anyone else. It was why the vampire had not been alerted to Sookie's endangerment sooner, and why no one came to Angie's immediate aid when he had tossed her about like a crumpled paper.

Eric flew into the sky, moving at full speed to the place he had last felt Sookie's presence. He was surprised to land himself in a graveyard. To his right, a decrepit old farmhouse sat, and to his left, another crappy old house perched upon the hill the tombs rested in the valley of. There was no mistaking the scent in the air; the stench of Niall, and the sweet aroma of his beautiful Bonded.

But why had Niall brought them here? He looked around again, but there was nothing new to be seen. Letting out a snarl, he decided that the last remaining portal to Elfyria must lay somewhere in the graveyard, but without fairy blood, he could not find it, and without Empyrodite, he could not open the gate.

Whipping out his cell phone, Eric called the only one he knew he could, "Master." Eric whispered.

"_I know. I heard her cry as well."_ Godric's voice was just as quiet as his, _"You need to bring yourself to me. You and Pam must come back to New Orleans as quickly as you can."_

"Godric." His voice was pleading.

"_We will fix this, Young One."_ His tone was trying to be soothing yet firm, _"But you will begin losing your control soon, and I cannot risk you rampaging. As your Maker, I order you to bring your Child here to New Orleans."_

"Yes, Master."

**TBC**

**A/N: REMEMBER TO REVIEW, EVERYONE!**

**-ANDI**


	21. Chapter 21

Keep Me

_A/N: Happy Tuesday morning CST! Yes, as you may have discovered last week, we are back on our Tuesday morning updates, and that should continue right up to the end of the story. Thank you all for being understanding of my taking a week off. Thankfully, my muse returned once the pressure was alleviated, and I was able to get my fingers a-typing once more! Thanks, as always, to __**Nerdygirl**__, who not only helps me think my way out of a plot hole, but also has become my friend and confidant! You rock, Chicadee!_

_-Andi_

**Chapter Twenty-One:**

Pam was glancing sideways at her Maker as she drove. Part of her expected him to punch out the window and fly off into the night sky at any moment. He was fidgeting. That was never good, she decided, since she had never seen him do such a thing. His eyes were closed, and his hands were clasped as his elbows rested on his knees. Was he contemplating the shackles she insisted he wear? They were not enough to completely immobilize him, but they were forged from the same stainless steel that the aerospace industry used. They would at least slow him down.

Hazarding another glance in her Maker's direction, she noted that his lips were moving, but his voice was not making a sound. Was he _praying_? The Child's lip curved with a sneer of distaste. After two hours of this torture, Pam arrived at Godric's royal estate and pulled up to the guards' stand.

"Miss Ravenscroft." The Were guard nodded to her as he glanced in the window. Seeing his boss's Child in the passenger's seat, tethered, set him at unease. "Mr. Northman..?" He asked carefully.

Eric's eyes opened long enough, and his head tilted far enough, to cast his hollow, dead gaze upon the guard, causing the Were to recoil, "Has he been hexed?"

"Worse." Pam snarled and gunned the engine to get up the remainder of the driveway in a short second.

Godric was standing in the entrance of the manor and came to greet Eric at his door. "You have done well to control yourself up until now." He murmured appraisingly, "I will take on that responsibility now." He promised, stroking Eric's long hair paternally.

Eric did not say a word as he rose from his seat, the clinking of his bindings singing to the night sky as he made his way into the entrance of the estate's main building.

"This is _controlled_?" Pam snapped once they were inside, "He can't even form a sentence! He was praying all the way here! For what? I'll tell you what I'm praying for!"

"Pam." Godric's voice was a warning in itself.

"I'm praying Niall just kills the stupid witch so the Bond finally is severed for-!"

There was barely a sound before Eric's bindings burst apart and he was atop his Child, striking her repeatedly with all the strength in his body. He destroyed her face with his nails and shattered the beautiful, delicate bone structure of her cheek and jaw. Once here face was unrecognizable, he grabbed Pam by her wrist and whipped her body to crash into the hard marble of the grand entrance.

By the time he was done, Pam was a whimpering, broken heap on the floor, and Eric's needless breath was ragged to hear.

"That is your only warning, Pamela." Godric spoke for his Child, "I will send someone to collect you once I have seen to my Child."

A loud ***POP*** sounded near Eric's side, and it took all of Godric's strength to keep his progeny from striking the little doctor that now walked beside him.

"I will need to test to see if all of your immunities are intact." Ludwig explained. "Hopefully they are not, or he will be nearly impossible to restrain until his Bonded is recovered."

"Test them on me." Godric requested, "I do not know that I could restrain him if he feels threatened at this point. Do you know what is happening to him?"

"His Bonded has been taken to Elfyria. The time difference has caused interference with his end of the Bond. Her body is experiencing time at a much slower rate than his is, therefore, he cannot feel her. Your Child is experiencing the shocks of his Bonded's death, though she is still quite alive. The opposite is happening for Sookie. She is feeling his emotions at several levels higher the intensity. If Niall did not find a way to restrain her before taking her, I fear that Elfyria will be in ruins shortly."

Godric gave little care for what would happen to the Fae race, "What will Eric do?"

"Every vampire that Bonds experiences the loss of their other half differently. Some become suicidal, others become homicidal. Given Eric's outbursts, I would say he will be a lot of both. He's too controlled, which is frightening. If he were burning down villages and slaughtering townspeople, I might feel a little better. Even if he were trying to stake himself, I would feel better. But he just stands there in that daze, keeping it together." Ludwig shook her head, "Your Child has much self-control."

"He knows that she is not actually dead. I believe he is taking solace in that." Godric smiled sadly.

"Yes, unfortunately, he will not feel when she dies if she does so in Elfyria." The doctor grimaced. "This calm will not last, Godric. He will not be able to keep up this demeanor for long." She looked at the Viking a moment before adding, "Every moment he stays like this is a blessing. Every hour he survives up until this point, will be his best hour."

"Survives?" Godric gaped.

"He will try and kill himself at some point. It cannot be avoided. Not even a Maker's Command will stop him." Ludwig was digging into her bag and came out with a ring. She pressed it to Godric's skin and sighed when there was no affect, "Damnation. I thought when..." Ludwig's eyes lit up and she stopped walking, making the vampires halt as well, "Viking," she handed him the silver ring, "you will not feel when your Bonded has died. You know this now." Eric nodded solemnly, "But you _will_ lose your extra gifts if she loses her life." She pressed the ring into Eric's palm, "Wear this, and until it burns, do not lose hope." The large vampire held the ring in his palm a moment before slipping the small loop around his pinkie finger. In a very unLudwig move, the little doctor reached up and patted the large vampire's chest reassuringly, "Be strong, Northman, for her. She'll come back to you."

"I did not know you were such an optimist." Godric's eyebrows rose as he murmured to the doctor once Eric was, once more, ahead of them.

"One does not hand a loaded gun to a suicidal person." Ludwig sighed, "He will be more difficult to contain in the next few days."

"_Days_? You think he will go days without searching for her?" Godric asked in disbelief.

"He has no choice but to wait. Without Empyrodite, he cannot breach the portal to Elfyria, and that mineral no longer exists in this realm. No, if his Bonded returns, she will have to find her own way back." Ludwig shook her head.

"_You_ can get to Elfyria." Godric pressed.

"No." The doctor scowled, "It would conflict with the sanctity of my oath to treat all creatures as equals, and to take no personal or political preferences. The Pantheon has ladened you with this strife. If you wish to beseech a Deity for relief, then do so, but do not ask it of me." She glanced at Eric's back, "When he begins to resist your commands, you will be forced to secure him. The only thing that will immobilize him at this point is being driven into the ground." She gave a long stare at the giant of a vampire, "Four foot re-barb might do the trick so long as it is curved at the ends that he cannot easily bring his wounds through. Palms, elbows, shoulders, torso- take care to stay far from his heart-, two in each thigh, and one in each ankle. You might need to call some assistance of some older vampires than him to manage such a feat. It will take no less than three of you when the bloodlust begins to drive him." And with another ***POP*** Ludwig was gone.

Godric's face was grim as he regained his pace with Eric. His Child was suffering immensely, and it weighed heavily on the ancient vampire. What frightened Godric the most was the realization that Eric's agony was only a fraction of the actual experience. It had to be, for Godric was managing, where his Child was not. He did not understand why his tie to Eric's emotions was being diluted, normally he felt exactly what his Child felt, and Eric could not cut that bond. Then, he remembered what Sookie had said about "cutting the pain in half" when she had been parted from Eric all those months ago so that he could meet with Sophie-Anne. Had Godric done just that? Had he cut the pain of Eric's agony in half to cope?

With a somber gaze, Godric brought Eric to the room he would be staying in. That stare stayed trained on the giant of a vampire as he crumbled to the floor, resting his cold cheek to the cool wood.

"Eric," Godric began gently, "I am going to tend to Pamela. I will be back shortly. Do not leave this room. Do not stake yourself, or make any attempts on your existence in my absence." He breathed an unneeded sigh of relief when he felt his command take root in their bond.

At vampire speed, Godric was back in the entry hall. Pam had not yet moved, but he could see the damage her Maker had done slowly reversing. "Pam, can you rise?"

"Yes." She whispered, gritting her teeth as bones began to grind as she moved.

"Get yourself to your old room. Stay there until I call for you. Perhaps you should take that time to consider what your Master is going through." Godric told her sternly.

"Yes, Master Godric." Pam limped to her room, internally groaning at the stairs.

Godric was back to Eric in a flash, his cell phone in hand as he called in a favor, "Russell," he breathed, "I am in a situation, and only one as old as you can assist me."

"_Oooh, I have waited so long to redeem myself of the last favor you performed for me. Tell me, Dear Godric, what can I do for a fellow King?"_ Russell Edgington's silky voice flowed over the line.

"My Child is Bonded."

"_The __**Viking**__ bonded to a __**human**__?"_ His shock was not unbelievable. _"I had heard through the grapevine that your dear Child had taken on a captivating pet, but I did not think he would __**Bond**__."_

"It is more complicated than that. His Bonded is not entirely human, and she has many gifts. His Bonded is part fae." Godric hesitated to admit this, but it was necessary, and Russell had proven his loyalty to the Ghal line for many centuries.

"_Really? Now that __**is**__ interesting! And how might I assist the happy couple?"_ He asked sweetly.

"His Bonded has been abducted by the Fae and taken to Elfyria. In respect to the Bond, Eric is going through the situation as if she has died. I have consulted Ludwig, and have been instructed to stake him to the ground to prevent him from taking his life, or going on a rampage." Godric told him quickly, "He is still obeying his Maker's Command, but I have been warned that as the days pass, this will not last. I will need at least three older than him to subdue him."

"_Is there no one that can retrieve her?"_ Russell sounded shocked.

"Empyrodite is non-existent in this realm. Unless you know a creature that can walk through realms and is not wary of taking on the Fae, it is pointless. There is hope that, because of the time differences between our worlds, Sookie will not have succumbed to the severing of the Bond, and might be able to come back of her own power." Godric had a hard time believing this, but he prayed. Gods, how hard he prayed!

"_Of her own power? You said she was gifted, but do you honestly believe that a __**part**__ fairy can overcome her abductors, obtain a fragment of Empyrodite, __**and**__ find the portal back to our world?"_ Russell sounded more than a little doubtful, _"If that child can accomplish that, then even __**I**__ will fear your bloodline."_ He laughed.

"We are trying to keep hope." Godric could not bring his voice to match that optimism, "I would appreciate if you could send three others that are between mine and Eric's age. I would prefer that none be older than I, so that if they think they might try their own hand at running a Kingdom, they will know better than to try me. I warn you. Right now, my instincts to protect my bloodline are fierce. If I have any suspicions, I will end them."

"_I know just the three for you."_ Russell assured, _"They are entirely loyal to me, and will follow my command."_

"My greatest thanks. I will be indebted to you for a long time to come." Godric sighed appreciatively.

"_We will consider ourselves even. That spot you got me out of during the incident in Greece was more than you should have had to shoulder."_ Russell's voice was smiling.

"Thank you, Russell."

Pam cringed on her bed as another bone in her face began to reset. She was not used to broken bones. She could only remember once that one had been broken, and that too had been by Eric. However, that incident was part of her training as a vampire. Eric had broken her arm to teach her how to continue fighting through pain if they were ever in battle and she sustained such an injury. Thankfully, her Maker had always watched out for her in such situations, and she left most with hardly a blemish on her cheek.

It was killing her to feel so out of touch with Eric. He was blocking her from their bond, and in his time of despair, it gave her great unease to be so detached from him. Could he not see how unequipped she was to deal with him? Did he not understand that leaving his agony from her, made it more difficult to help him?

Once more, Sookie had made her Bonded suffer. Just being born the way that she was should have gotten her name on Eric's "avoid" list. Instead, he had given the ratty little thing shelter, education, and, despicably, _love_! Now, he was paying for it with his own sanity. How could _love_ be so moving that her Maker- HER MAKER! The VIKING. The broadsword wielding demon! Eric Northman, succumbed to the scourge of _LOVE_, and paid for it with all of his strength and reputation!

The little fairy might be nice to look at. She might have a moment or two that amused Pam. Sookie might have even felt an eerie fondness for her, though she blamed that on the weak link she had to her from Eric's Bond.

But, Pam admitted sourly, she too, had cried for the little creature. She had heard the runaway's sorry tale, and even felt the crimson tears in her eyes form at the damnation of the hybrid's entire existence. The girl had survived agonizing years, and with much disinterested coaxing, Pam had pressed her Maker's Bonded to telepathically share the experience. Pam had seen much, though she knew that Sookie held some of the darker torments in the deep recesses of her damaged soul. Locked in shadows that her mind could not bare to dig back up and expose to the light of her new, hopeful life.

Hope.

_Hope_. Pam thought as she stared dazedly at the ceiling, not even flinching as her cheekbone puffed and snapped back into place. Maybe that was what Eric saw in her; in Pam. Hope for something worth existing for. The vampiress knew that Eric had created her a few more than two hundred years ago, with the attempt at placating the darkness of his journey through immortality. They had enjoyed the centuries together sharing in carnage and carnal pleasures. They had explored the world together, Eric delighting in how she was swept up in the big, wide world she never dreamed of beholding in the dowry purchasing, child bearing existence she had been destined for as a mortal. Eric had gotten to relive that fresh excitement through her.

Now, he was not just reliving a life he had walked through several times already. Eric was LIVING again. Sookie had given him a gift, given _all_ of them a gift. She had returned the light to their lives, both literally and metaphorically. She had stood by them in battle, grown up and back down. Pam realized as her jaw reset that even the concrete façade of her own exterior had begun to crack, and she had learned to relish the day with new enthusiasm.

_So quick to blame_... Pam thought sadly. She had been so quick to thrust all of Eric's problems on Sookie's shoulders. It was not the forsaken fairy that deserved her hatred. It was Niall, and André, and Compton, and Bartlett. They were the demons that stalked and threatened them. They were the ones that put Sookie through agony, and in turn destroyed her Maker.

With a long sigh, Pam curled onto her side and stared now at the wall. She closed her eyes after a moment and prayed aloud, "Please, let us have one more shot at dawn."

Godric sat staring at Eric. His Child had not moved for what felt like an eternity. Eric continued to stare at the wall, lying on the floor. Every once and a while his hand would reach out to stroke the wooden floorboards, engraining the texture of the smooth surface into his memory. Godric wondered if he was considering if it would make a sturdy stake.

Clasping his hands in front of his face, Godric brought his fists to his lips as he considered the possibility of ending his Child's existence. He could not let HIS Child commit his own final death. It was unacceptable, but he knew that Eric would detest an act of pity being taken upon him. Even into the afterlife. But a part of Godric feared for Eric's soul. Would Eric's spirit be permitted to be with Sookie's in the afterlife if the Viking fell by his own hand? Perhaps Godric could hire an assassin or a warrior of old to do the deed if it came to that.

A glimmer of light flashed from Eric's hand and Godric's eyes snapped to the silver ring upon the larger vampire's pinkie finger. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw that the flesh was not smoldering. The light above them was merely shining off of the smooth, cool metal.

After that moment of fear, Godric went back to thinking about how and when he should put his Child out of his misery. The ancient vampire had known of a few others that had been Bonded, and what had become of them when their mate was lost. It was a hopeless cause trying to prolong their existence much further past their other half's demise. They became shells of the formidable creatures they had once been; a true walking corpse. They had all fallen upon their own swords shortly, sometimes within the hour, of the loss.

An ache. A deep pang of worry and despair rang through Godric's body. The world without his Child did not feel like a world at all. It felt of mockery and dominance. As if the world decided that happiness was undeserved by them, the living dead...

It was the third day since Sookie had been taken that Eric began to rebel against his Maker's command. All through the morning, Godric had strained and struggled with his Child to keep him from plunging a stake into his chest.

A fully healed Pam had taken it upon herself to clear a room in the estate free of any wooden objects, and even replaced the door with a thick steel one usually used in industrial warehouses. Eric was forcefully moved into that room, with its concrete floor, and cinderblock walls.

That very evening, Russell's subordinates arrived to witness the Viking snarling and squirming on the ground where Godric had him pinned, but could do little more than keep him from leaving the room. Pam stood in the corner holding several steel rods in her tightly fisted hands.

As Godric restrained his Child, the other three vampires went to work using the rods to pierce Eric's body and drive the bolts into the floor beneath him. Three feet into the ground, leaving enough metal free to curl around itself, even the other ancients in the room had difficulty stomaching the task they were performing.

One of their own, revered and respected Eric Northman was being crucified. His snarls and spitting made the dealings even worse as he cursed at them in his Nordic tongue, vowing their death and dismemberment once he was free.

Pam remained in her corner, face turned away from the scene before her. She could not bare to watch what was being done to her proud and beloved Maker. She feared each day as it passed, not wanting to see him become worse. Soon, she began to fear the passing hours, for they became as terrible as the days had once been.

By the seventh day, Eric had seemed to breach the point of despair. His only movement consisted of rubbing his silver ring against its neighboring finger, as if anticipating a burning that never came. She knew now, that he prayed that some sign of his Bonded's death would finally let him have reason for his agony. To give him just cause for his decline. All he wanted anymore was a reason, a reason to stop fighting.

Every fiber of Eric's being was straining against his bindings on the eighth day. He needed to be freed. He needed to be with Sookie. In the afterlife, in Elfyria, anywhere. He needed his blood, the blood that still ran. He needed the other part of his soul, the part that sang. He needed the other half of his _heart_, the half that could still beat.

Eyes snapping open, Eric strained against the posts that skewered him to the floor. He felt the tearing of his flesh, felt his hand release, but not the pain. Pain did not exist anywhere but in his broken spirit now.

When that part of his appendage was free, he rotated his wrist sharply, snapping the bone like a toothpick before ripping it from its station as well. Now he could bend his elbow, and it was little work pulling the barb from his shoulder and then all of the others in quick succession.

Blood flowed across the floor to the center drain of the room as he managed to crawl to his feet. Going towards the east facing wall, Eric placed his crimson flowing hand against the wall. Making broad, circular strokes, he painted the area red; his lips trembling in a low staccato:

"My blood, my soul, my heart. My blood, my soul, my heart. My blood, my soul, my heart. My blood, my soul, my heart." Over and over as his eyes began to shimmer. As his blood continued to paint and drip, coat and stream away from his body, he continued, "My blood, my soul, my heart. My blood, my soul, my heart. My blood, my soul, my heart." Until those shimmering eyes turned phosphorescent, and glowed with a cyan hue that illuminated his dark prison.

**TBC**

**REMEMBER TO REVIEW, EVERYONE!**


	22. Chapter 22

Keep Me

_A/N: Welcome back, Readers, to chapter twenty-two of __Keep_ Me! _I am a few hours early today, but I have obligations early tomorrow morning, and rather than make you wait, I decided to post before midnight!_

_ A lot of you out were for Niall's blood on the last chapter! I want to thank you all for your record breaking contribution in reviews on the last chapter. It was inspiring, and I hope that you continue to grace me with just as many (if not more) reviews on this chapter! _

_As always, thank you __**NerdyGirl**__, for taking time to edit my chapters for me! You are a Godsend!_

_-Andi_

**Chapter Twenty-Two:**

"You recovered from the berries faster than I thought you would, my child."

Sookie was blinking in quick succession, trying to clear the fog of her fainting spell. Who the hell was calling her their child? She squinted at the blurry silhouette, but she did not need the image to come in focus to recognize that long silver beard and hair. A flare of rage, much more potent than she had ever experienced before, was coursing through her. Murderous intent was swirling tumultuously in her veins as she looked at the lines of the face that was slowly resolving into a less blurred image.

"What did you do to me?" She grumbled, holding her chest painfully. An ache was building so quickly there that it nearly took her breath away, but it only fueled her previous anger. "Where am I?" Sookie demanded.

"A cell in Elfyria. I know that iron will not hold you, so I have spent the last few weeks having this special chamber made up." He was grinning at her through the thick slits of the bars. The spaces between the bars were so narrow that the woman did not think she could get more than her fingertips through them.

Sookie crossed her arms over her chest in agitation, "Godric will never help you just because you kidnapped me." She spat.

Niall let out a sharp exhale from his nose as if to snort in amusement, "Help me? Dear girl, what will I need his help for?"

"Don't call me those pathetic pet names. I'm not _your child, _or a _girl_. I am Eric Northman's woman, and of no relation other than biological to you." She shot back at him, "Call me "you" or call me "woman", but don't pretend to be familiar with me, you diabolical asshole!"

"What language." Niall tsk'd, "Not very becoming of _Northman's woman_."

"I owe you nothin', especially any type of good manners. You took away my entire life, and for what? To become a baby factory?" Sookie's lip was curling ever higher with distaste.

Niall actually laughed at that, "A what? You think your offspring, even if their sire was 100% fae, would be worth a pittance to me? As far as breeding stock goes, you are absolutely worthless."

Sookie frowned with confusion, "But... Fuck." She sighed, realizing the truth. Just like Eric rarely gave away true information, neither did Niall. An entirely fabricated backstory had been made while Niall pursued Sookie. The question now, was why did he pursue her at all? "Well, you needed me for somethin'. Apparently you don't need an army, because takin' me from Eric would just piss Godric off, and he wouldn't give you what you want. So I'm not a bargainin' chip. I'm what you wanted, but not for breedin'."

"Apparently you were not the slow minded girl I was lead to believe you were. That fool Compton misinformed me about your whit." Niall sighed in mild irritation.

Keeping her face poised, and an ever present check on her emotions, Sookie listened in on Niall's thoughts. His were difficult to read, but her training over the last year let her navigate the conversation just right to pick up the pieces she needed. The real answers to the questions she asked flitted through the ancient Fairy's mind as his lips spoke flippant brush offs to her spoken inquiries.

"How was it that you even came to know of me? Fintan didn't tell you. Otherwise, he wouldn't have tried to take me away like he did." Sookie pressed.

"How did my son meet his death? You were there were you not?" Niall had his first real spark of interest in what she had to say.

"You will learn in a moment." Sookie held her ribs tightly as she felt like they were about to shatter at any moment. She felt like crumbling from the weight of Eric's end of the Bond. "But tell me what you did to Eric. He's in so much pain. It feels like I might die."

"Ah, yes, I almost forgot that you were Bonded to a vampire." The look on his face spoke volumes of how he felt about one of his kin, as far removed as she was, being linked to a vampire. "But, all I did was take you to Elfyria. I never laid a hand upon him. However, there is quite a time difference between here and your former realm. One hour here, is one day on your plane. You have been out for nearly three hours since we came through the portal, so it has been three days for your vampire." A tell tale smile was curling Niall's lips, "I suppose you are currently feeling three days of the Viking's emotions all lumped together, where he can probably not feel much from you, if at all. In fact, he probably thinks that you are dead. I am curious if he let your silly little friend live after I took you."

Sookie blanched. If Eric suspected Angie being involved in the abduction, he would have killed her without hesitation, "How did you know I was goin' to be where I was if she didn't help you?"

Niall snorted, "I gained access to Northman's phone records. There were a few calls during the day time. Some to your brother, the others to your Wicce friend. I found her residence and tapped her phone, waiting for you to call her, waiting for you to go somewhere public where I could hide in plain sight and finally strike. Your vampire did a very good job keeping you secure, but lying in wait has its advantages. Time can make anyone drop their guard in opportune situations. Thankfully, I had someone monitoring the calls, so I got to spend my time here, while your life zipped by in the blink of an eye. Time can drive one mad, after all." He was grinning with delight now, "I wonder how long your vampire can last before giving in and meeting the sun." She could see how much pleasure he took in the thought of her Bonded being in such agony, and it twisted her gut with rage.

"You know that I am a telepath, right?" Sookie ground out, wanting to change the subject and wipe that sadistic grin off of his face.

"Yes, but you have met fairies before and were unable to read them." Niall smirked, calling her bluff. "I saw that you came in contact with a few so that I would be aware before I left you to rot for a while."

"Too bad for me." She sighed, "Did you ever find out what else I can do?"

"You will not be able to teleport out of your cell. I saw that wards were placed to prevent it." Niall crossed his arms over his chest proudly, as though he believed that he had thought of everything.

"I can't teleport yet." The woman rolled her eyes, "Eric bluffed about that."

"I thought so. It seemed improbable that you would have come in to that power already." He seemed slightly relieved at the news.

"So, what is it that you think I can do that you want to use?" Sookie tugged firmly at her hair, unable to control her fidgeting. Her body felt coiled and ready for a fight. She had already been unconscious for three hours before this little pussyfooting tournament began, and it had almost been an hour of this dialogue now. The internal odometer that she had discovered the only other time she had been separated from Eric, could apparently also count the seconds she spent from him, too.

"Admittedly, I am uncertain what it is you can do. Normally, I do not take these sorts of gambles, but when I was informed that you alone could take down the all of my enemies, well, that is an opportunity you do not pass up on."

Sookie sneered at him, "You should have passed." Niall laughed at her, "If you tell me the truth. About how you knew about me, about why you had those things done to me- I will destroy the Water Clan."

"That is all you want?" Niall asked, eyebrow raised with distrust. "But how will you know if I am telling the truth?"

"I have seen the truth and lies of faces all my life. I _will _know." Sookie assured.

Niall shrugged, "My granddaughter Claudia was a Seer. She foresaw one of our Kin growing into a powerful force, one that would vanquish all of my enemies, including the Water Clan. That is how I came to know about you. I knew about you before my son Fintan did. When I discovered that you were telepathic, I did not think that would be very useful in overthrowing my enemies, but Claudia assured me that you would be able." Niall looked at her a moment, "As for why I had those things done to you... Well, when you use a person as a weapon, you need to have their complete loyalty. Since, it is well known that fairy hybrids cannot survive long in Elfyria, I had to make specific plans. My hope was to destroy your spirits to the point that when I showed up and offered a friendly hand, you would see me as your savior and devote your life to me." The Prince shrugged, "Unfortunately, your vampire beat me to that move; the lucky bastard. You are quite beautiful, too bad that the fruit has already been spoiled." He sighed, and Sookie recoiled when she saw just what he had intended for her.

"You sick son of a bitch." Sookie growled.

"You were not very hesitant to jump into the Viking's bed once he saved you, and I have little doubt that it would have been any different if it were I that had found you instead." Niall smiled smugly.

"You know what Niall, I really am goin' to kill the Water Clan." She looked up to gaze into her great grandfather's eyes, "You just won't be around to reap the benefits."

"What do you- ARGH!" Niall screamed as his left arm was ripped from its torso, followed swiftly by the right.

"This is my gift you wanted. Enjoy!" She cried as his left leg was torn away, and then his right once he toppled to the ground. Without hesitation, she blew out his torso, and watched delightedly as her great grandfather's head rolled across the floor. Internal organs littered the dungeon floor, his intestines dangling like a grim streamer from one of the hinges of her cell's door.

All that kept the girl contained was a single door, and she had become well practiced at using her telekinesis to open locks. Soon, she was free and crouching down to pick up Niall's head by its silver hair, "Now, how do I get out of this realm." She frowned as she gazed at the old fairy's horror frozen expression. "I suppose I can ask the water fairies." Sookie carried the head by its long hair, swinging it lazily as she walked through the dungeon. She paused momentarily at the archway, seeing her kin's heart still trembling, trying to continue beating without purpose. Her foot stomped it flat, any remaining fluid oozing out under the sole of her shoe. It served him right. Crushing his heart as he had tried to crush her soul.

"Grandfather?" Sookie stopped at the call from another cell she passed in the stockade, "Please, Grandfather, please let me go..." A pitiful voice moaned from behind the iron door. "I can't do it..."

The telepath reached into the mind beyond the door and grimaced. A female fairy was behind that door, and from the memories the poor creature was recalling, she had been behind that door for a very long time. So long, that she could not remember when she had last been free, or what it was like to bed a man willingly.

Apparently Sookie had not been the only victim of her great grandfather's greed. Also, it seemed that his want for breeding stock was not complete fiction- it just had not involved Sookie. Instead, Claudine, a relative that Sookie was too irritable to care about discerning a title for, had been bound and raped repeatedly over the course of several years. Never carrying to term, and less frequently conceiving at all in recent attempts.

Using her ability, Sookie unlocked the door and gave it a kick open, "Claudine." She asked, though she already knew the answer.

"Who's there? Who are you?" The weak voice did not even sound nervous, instead it sounded relieved. Perhaps because a woman was calling to her and thoughts of a reprieve from the attentions of her usual visitors was inviting.

"My name is Sookie Stackhouse. Your sister Claudia put me on Niall's radar, and he brought me here to use as a weapon." Sookie told her impatiently, blowing apart the manacles around the older fairy's wrists and ankles. "I can't offer you any clothes, but I'm sure we'll find somethin' for you to wrap up in on our way."

"Way?"

"You're goin' to show me how to get to the water fae." Sookie answered.

"_What?_" The alarm in Claudine's voice was apparent.

Spinning on her heel, Sookie stared into the sunken eyes of her fellow, former prisoner, "You heard me. Now take me to the Water Clan, or you can join your grandfather." She held up Niall's head and Claudine recoiled in reflexive terror.

"You did this?" Claudine whispered, staring at the agonized face of her deceased grandfather.

"He wanted a weapon. I showed him what happens when you don't read the consumer warnin'." Sookie sneered.

"You're..." Claudine gasped as she stared into Sookie's eyes. The blue irises were purple, almost turning red, "You're Bonded to a vampire, aren't you?"

"Yes. To Eric Northman. He is Mine." Sookie ground out.

"Sookie," Claudine took a tentative step back, keeping her voice gentle, "if you have been separated from your Bonded, you are going to become very dangerous to me."

"I am very dangerous to everyone." Sookie grinned so darkly that it sent a shiver down Claudine's spine. The fairy was no longer sure if she did not prefer her imprisonment over being at the mercy of a manic hybrid with powers that Claudine found incomprehensible, and immunities that left the older woman with little chance of overpowering the other. "Now, take me to the Water Fae, and if you make me ask again, well... I won't."

"Yes, I'll take you." Claudine breathed anxiously. Sookie smirked at the tremble that wracked the woman's body, delighting in her fear and servitude. The show of submission fed the churning bloodlust for the time being.

"Good." Sookie stomped up the stone stairway, out of the dungeon, Claudine on her heels. Once they were on an inhabited floor, Sookie grabbed the fabric of a drape they passed and yanked it free from its bar. "Make like Scarlett O'hara and put that on."

"Who?"

"Just cover up." She grunted.

The telepath knew very well that this aggressive attitude she was emulating came from none other than her distressed Bonded, but it gave her reassurance. If Eric was this enraged, it meant that he had not given up and tried to kill himself. As long as she could feel his rage, she had time to do what needed to be done.

Reaching out with her telepathy, Sookie took a quick account of the bodies in the building. There were several minds in the dungeons below that they had just escaped from. She could feel twenty minds on the floor they traipsed through now, and there were another forty minds scattered above her on the higher floors. Spreading her mental reach outward, she counted another fifteen guards on the outside grounds.

"This place is crawlin' with fairies." That dark grin of bloodlust was curling Sookie's lips again, and Claudine could not resist pulling away from her relative ever so slightly once more.

Two of the guards on their floor were approaching around a corner, and Sookie did not even break her pace as their bodies exploded, showering the women in a fine mist of blood and sinewy pieces. Sookie felt the woman beside her cringe and grasp at her when she became entangled in entrails, but the hybrid just laughed and licked her bloodied lips. The taste of the crimson fluid intensified the need to rain more of it down.

If it had not been for the boiling rage Eric was providing her through the Bond, Sookie might have been mortified of her actions thus far, but every kill from the inside of the palace to its outer gates was reveled by the fairy pariah. She did not know that every kill made her eyes glow that much more with a violent, scarlet hue, nor would she have cared if she did know. All she knew for sure was that basking in the glory of her murder spree kept her sane enough to remain focused on her agenda, and that was the only reason she did not massacre the entire castle.

Kill the Water Clan. Kill as many of Niall's supporters as she could. And most importantly, but with great heartbreak it was admittedly the last task she could perform- finding a way back to her Bonded.

By the time Sookie and Claudine were off of the palace grounds, they were both bathed in blood and had several pieces of flesh sticking to their skin and hair. Claudine looked ready to be ill, but Sookie gave her a firm shake and urged her on.

As the pair continued on, Claudine staring nervously at the telepath's back, the older fairy could see the younger one losing steam. "Are you okay?" Claudine asked tentatively, more concerned about her own wellbeing in such close proximity to someone as unbalanced as half a Bonded couple.

"I'm fine." Sookie snapped back, but it was a lie. That storm of bloodlust was receding, and now her heart felt like it was shattering a million times over. Her breaths were more like pants as each one felt like a cold stab to her chest. Tears that she had not summoned were building in her eyes, and an underlying frustration was making it harder to keep them from falling.

"How long have you been in Elfyria?" Claudine asked.

"A few hours," Sookie felt in her heart that it was so much longer, "maybe five?"

"Your Bonded would be without you for five days, now." Claudine told her.

"Yes." Was all the blonde responded with.

"He is still alive?"

"Yes."

"That is something, at least." Claudine sighed. "Are you-"

"Listen," Sookie spun around, "I have no patience for any conversation with a fairy, unless it is a way to get me home, or lead me to the Water Clan."

"What is this obsession with the Water Clan?" Claudine demanded.

"They want all hybrids like me, maybe even my brother, dead. It's kill or be killed, and I'm not fancyin' lookin' over my shoulder for the rest of eternity." Sookie snapped, "Now shut up and show me the way, or go back to your dungeon and rot."

"You have killed Niall," Claudine gestured to the head that Sookie's hand was still fisted into the long hair of, "You have made me ruler of Elfyria."

"So it was your guards you let me blow up without a bat of the eye?" Sookie was confused.

"Yes, but I would have them killed for treason, anyway. Most of the royal guard has raped me by now. You saved me a lot of trouble." Claudine shrugged, "And I will show you the way to the Water Clan so that you can pave a way to peace for our people-"

"_**Your**_people!" Sookie sneered as she emphasized her personal disassociation with the realm she was trapped in, "I want nothin' to do with the fae other than exterminatin' them." She followed Claudine as she walked on ahead.

"I could give you that job."

"As an executioner?" Sookie asked, a twinge of enjoyment eclipsing the burning of Eric's agony for a brief second.

"Not quite. There are only a few Fae that exist in your realm, and they are of no threat to you. The only threat from the Fae would come from Elfyria." Claudine explained.

"A discussion for after I remove the cretins of this realm." Sookie grumbled, "What can you tell me of them?"

"Not much. The past decade or so, I have been Niall's prisoner, and have been out of touch with the goings on in the moving world." Claudine frowned, "Their last known headquarters was in a tavern in the eastern city, but they have probably moved since then."

Sookie rolled her eyes, "Then how is it you are goin' to help me find them?"

Claudine had an amused look on her face, "I may be out of touch with the world, but I know a lot of things." She gazed around at the terrain, "If he is still living, he will teleport once we clear that line of stones." Claudine pointed to what looked like a knee high, stone fence, "That is the teleportation barrier. Once we pass it, we can move through the realm, mostly, freely." She glanced at Sookie, "Do not blow him up if he appears. He is not a threat to you or me."

Sookie was wary, but tried to resist her instincts to "shoot first" and ask no questions after. As they hopped over the stone wall, both paused and waited a moment.

"He is dead." Sookie frowned.

"Give it a moment, he may not realize..."

They were silent another minute before a loud ***POP* **rented the air, and Sookie had to use all of her will power not to respond in her usual way.

"_Colman_!" Claudette exhaled in relief, opening her arms and flinging them about the neck of the tall, dark haired stranger. "By the Gods!" She wept in his disbelieving embrace.

"Claudine." He breathed in her hair, his dripping eyes pouring out years of withheld tears, "My love. You are _free_." Colman sobbed into her shoulder as he lifted her from the ground and rocked her gently in his embrace.

A deep pang rang through Sookie's body, something more powerful than the rage that fueled her up until this moment. Longing coursed throughout her, and her heart seemed to reach through lands and realms, searching desperately for its other half.

Left alone in her despair as the reunited lovers hugged and kissed, Sookie felt a vaguely familiar thrumming in her chest. Looking down at her breasts, expecting to see a dagger plunged through her ribs and its blade being clenched by her crumbling heart, she instead saw a light. The familiar glow sparked a memory. It was the same glow her heart had emitted when she was trapped in her dream so many months ago. The beacon of light she thought would lead to Eric.

"Sookie," Claudine was looking away from Colman now, her gaze transfixed on Sookie's chest, "Your Bonding ceremony, did you use any special artifact?" Her inquiry was hushed, disbelieving.

"The Bloodletting Blade." Sookie held her hand over her heart. "I think I remember y'all called it Erfea?"

"Erfea!" Colman gaped, "That blade was gifted to a vampire during one of the last vampire fae wars. The king himself gave it to a vampire who spared him a great loss. The young one of Ghal."

"Yes, Godric of Ghal. I am Bonded to his Child." Sookie nodded. "You can see the glow?"

"Yes." Claudine nodded, "Sookie! This is wonderful! Even if I cannot find the Gatekeeper's Saber, you can still go home!"

"Really?" Sookie asked hopefully.

Claudine nodded, "Ong Zan, Erfea."

"One Blood, One Soul." Sookie nodded, showing that she was aware of the translation.

"Ong Zan, Erfea, Coueretella." Claudine whispered.

"Coueretella?" Sookie repeated.

"To My Heart." Claudine explained, "It is the Angelic language. A blade forged by Dwarves, enchanted by the Fae, and blessed by the Angels. A pair united by blood and _that _blade cannot be parted. The Master will always be a beacon to his other half and she can be by his side if she follows the light. Even dimensions cannot keep them parted if they do not wish to be."

"So, I just follow the light coming from my chest? Why did it only appear now?" Sookie wondered; feeling despair as the aura began to flicker.

"You were not focused intently enough on him." Colman explained, "When your heart reached for his, it began to open the portal to his side. Even wards and spells cannot keep you from teleporting to him."

Sookie let out a sigh of relief, "I can go home whenever I wish."

"Are you leaving now?" Claudine asked.

"I should..." Sookie gazed down at her chest, seeing the light pulse stronger now, "He is hurtin' so badly. In our world, he will have been without me for nearly six days now."

"I understand, Sookie." Claudine smiled at her reassuringly, "You have already done more than enough for me, for Elfyria."

Sookie swiped at a tear she had not meant to shed, "Can't he come to me? He and I could kill the Water fae so fast together."

"No, he cannot." Claudine shook her head, "He is Master of the blade, he can only call you, he cannot come to you."

"Call me?"

"He can force you to teleport to him." Colman explained.

"Then why hasn't he?" She sobbed, giving in to the pain, losing the rage now.

"He probably does not know how. He will have to do a blood call, and I don't know that he would know how to do that without knowing the blade's power." Claudine smiled at her sympathetically, "Go, Sookie. You need him just as desperately."

Sookie was still staring at the light radiating from her chest, silent tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Is that..." Colman's voice broke the thoughts of Sookie's deliberating, "Niall's _head_?"

The pulsing light diminished quickly at Colman's question, and she looked at the head clutched in her hand by its hair. Pushing down Eric's despair, she instead focused on the constant rage he was suffering under.

"Yes." Sookie straightened up, "And it is the first of many heads I have and will take this night." Looking at her relative's beau, Sookie told him firmly, "Take me to the Water Clan's headquarters."

"What?" Colman was shocked.

"I am goin' to kill them all." Sookie explained simply.

"You can't be _serious_." Colman was shaking his head, not daring to believe this woman could accomplish such a feat.

"I destroyed Niall and several guards to get you your Claudine back to you. Do you think a few Water fairies scare me?" Sookie raised her eyebrows, that demonic glow raging once more in her eyes and causing Claudine and her lover to take an automatic step back. "Do you know where they hide?"

"I know their headquarters." Colman nodded slowly.

"Do you know anythin' of their numbers?" Sookie demanded next.

"About thirty." He answered quickly now.

"And their security?" She continued.

"Modest. Niall's been hitting them hard, and they have not recovered from his last bout." Colman went on, "Their numbers were nearly a hundred earlier this year, but they are waning. They are running low on supplies."

"And the structure they have made their haven?"

"An old, abandoned Inn at the center of the Queen's Village."

"Are there tunnels?" Sookie raised her eyebrows.

"Yes."

"What are Fairy weaknesses?" Sookie pressed.

"Iron will weaken fairies as silver weakens vampires. Lemons are fatal." Colman said slowly.

Sookie snorted, "_Lemons_?" The two fairies nodded, "I will not need either of those, but it's good to know."

"She won't need either?" Colman whispered to Claudine curiously.

"You do not want to know. It is... Unsettling." Claudine replied.

"Perhaps that is all the explanation I want. Seeing that you are covered head to toe in blood... I was so relieved to see you, I did not realize you were bathed in it!" He hissed to her.

Sookie interrupted them, "I have a tentative plan." She looked at her relative's lover firmly, "Take me to an access point to the tunnels under the Inn. Once you have taken me there, leave with Claudine to the edge of town. You will be safer there. You will know that it is over when you see the Inn fall."

"Fall?"

"To the ground." Sookie assured.

"Then we come back for you?" Claudine guessed.

"No, then I will follow the light back to Eric, and you fairies will leave me alone. Forever." Sookie declared.

"Sookie," Claudine cried, "I have something for you, though. The role of Gatekeeper." She reminded.

"I want nothin' to do with any of your political crap. I want nothin' to do with Elfyria, or fairies. I want you all to leave. Me. _Alone_." Sookie snapped, but she could already hear Claudine planning to offer her the job once she was no longer suffering separation sickness. Still, she resisted.

"But-"

"Nothin', Claudine." She stomped her foot, the vicious red glow in her eyes making the older fairy quiet.

The group was quiet before the male fairy finally spoke up, "I will teleport you as close to the Inn as possible. Have you ever teleported before?" Colman asked.

"No."

"Oh." He grimaced, "Try to relax. It is very disorienting when you are being taken along for the ride. It isn't as bad when you teleport yourself, though." He told her. "Claudine?"

"I will move myself. I know where you will appear." She nodded.

Colman took Sookie's hand and she had to resist the urge to recoil at a man other than Eric touching her. In a flash of bright light, she felt as though her entire body was breaking down into tiny particles, and when the flash swallowed itself, those particles came back into formation. Now, she was standing on cobbled street, old buildings like those you would see in a Dickins novel movie remake lining those roads.

"Ugh," Sookie doubled over, her stomach doing flip flops, "you weren't kiddin'."

"The access point is there." Colman pointed to a grate in the ground. A loud ***POP*** sounded beside them, and Claudine stood next to Sookie, between her and the grate.

Pushing past Claudine to get towards the grate, Sookie asked, "Which building is the Inn?"

Colman pointed down the road. There was a dilapidated old building standing at the end of the street, that Sookie found befitting a small, failing revolutionary headquarters. "You will come upon it quickly once you are below. I can assure you that there will be resistance in the tunnels."

"I figured that much. But they can't sneak up on me." Sookie lifted the grate with one hand.

"Sookie," Claudine called after her, "Niall's head. May I have it?"

"Proof of death?" Sookie guessed as she lobbed the head at her relative.

"Precisely." Claudine nodded, catching the head and fighting the urge to shiver.

"Good luck, Claudine." Sookie nodded at her as she began to lower herself into the grate.

"Best of luck, Sookie." Her relative nodded back, taking Colman's hand as Sookie descended into the pit.

It was a slightly deeper drop than the telepath had anticipated, and she felt a jarring in her ankles that seemed to radiate all the way to her knees. Shaking off the little shock to her joints, Sookie took a deep, steadying breath and decided to try out one of her tricks that Octavia had taught her.

With a bit of concentration, Sookie focused her aura outward, ensconcing herself in a thick, blue glow. The ghostly light did not _illuminate _the din, but created a physical barrier that would trigger any traps that might have been set, giving the woman time to react before she was snared. It was a simple energy work that Sookie had taken to quickly, and one that Eric thought very useful. Right now, Sookie had to agree.

Now that her aura was set, Sookie reached out with her mind, searching for any thoughts and potential threats. She could sense two minds several yards ahead of her, standing a stationary post a couple feet before the subterranean entrance to the Inn.

Approaching the sentries without hesitation, Sookie managed to get close enough before they could react, and killed them instantaneously as she walked through the shower of blood that rained around her.

Though weapons were not really needed by her, Sookie grabbed the saber that clattered to the ground and decided that it might at least pose an intimidation if necessary.

Branching out her mind again, she could sense another guard standing on the entrance just above her. Sookie slid the sword she held into the belt of her sundress and began to climb the ladder to the cellar of the Inn. As she approached the trap door, she used her telekinesis to fling it open and send the guard flying across the stone floor. She was through the entrance and on solid ground before her foe could rise, and she quickly dispatched him like the others.

As the telepath went to the stairs, she felt something new from Eric's end of the Bond, and it took her breath away. Clutching her chest, she leaned against the cool brick of the wall and calmed her breathing, trying to quell the sudden pain.

"Please, Eric," she whispered painfully, "just a little longer, Darlin'." She groaned, slouching down towards the floor, "Please, Darlin. It's all almost over." Tears were rolling down her cheeks, and she felt that familiar light begin to pound out of her chest again. When the agony began to abate and the desperation in him became strong once more, Sookie could cling to that desperation and use it to fuel her vengeance.

Able to move once again, Sookie finally ascended the stairway, feeling five people in the room directly above. She had never tried to tear apart such a large number of bodies simultaneously, but she was growing more and more frantic, and she hoped that it would be enough.

Flinging open the door, Sookie did not spare a moment's breath before bodies around her erupted in crimson blasts. The carnage was plentiful, and Sookie wasted little time delighting in it. She wanted to finish this mission and get back to Eric.

"Fuck." She grunted, stumbling and taking her balance against another wall. She berated herself for thinking of Eric. As desperate as she felt, thinking of her Bonded brought the wretched tortures he experienced into her body, and it was making it too difficult for her to continue. The woman needed to discipline her mind and prevent herself from taking such lapses. Despite how well she was doing, every moment of weakness put her in peril, and her death would not help Eric. "Damn it." Thunking her head firmly against the wall, she resolved not to think of anything but the next kill.

The next room had another collection of revolutionaries in it. Sookie was glad that the liquefaction of their comrades was quiet enough not to alert others. Another six were in this room, and after disposing of five with such ease, she was confident on this next room. It was as easy as she thought it would be, and she did not feel fatigued at all yet. Still, part of her mind idly wondered if the overpowering stench of the dismembered corpses would not alert the others to the attack. So far she had gone undetected, but a part of her knew that it was only a matter of time, and that she needed to diminish their numbers as swiftly as possible before she was discovered.

There was only another pair of two just before the next staircase, and Sookie barely acknowledged them as they fell in her wake. On the second level, she encountered three more groups in sets of four, seven, and three.

That was thirty so far, but the telepath could sense that there were still others in the Inn. They were on the third and final floor. Three of them, and by their minds, they knew she was there. Sookie was uncertain if they knew she was there all along, or if they had only just discovered her presence. Either way, there would be no sneaking up on them.

"My name is Sookie." She called up the stairway, "I am here to kill you. Either fight me like men, or try and sneak up on me like cowards. I do not care which, but let's get this over with."

***POP***

Sookie pushed her telekinesis in every direction at the sound, not daring to be wrong about where the sound originated from. A fairy with long black hair went tumbling backwards into an end table, and recovered in time to stare into the demonic eyes of his killer. Those red, glowing eyes were the last thing he ever saw before his body was torn apart, and his life ended.

"There are two of you left. Now what?" Sookie called.

***POP***

Again, Sookie pushed out with her ability, and another fairy crumpled. However, before she could dismember like the last, she felt a blinding hot pain begin in her back, and penetrate into her stomach. Looking down, she saw a blood coated blade gleaming back up at her tauntingly.

_'Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm.' _Sookie repeated to herself over and over in her head. '_Eric can heal you as soon as you kill these last two!'_

With a terrible, agonized cry, Sookie managed to blow up the fairy she had swatted down in the first blitz, but the one that had run her through teleported away before he could receive the same treatment.

"You won't wait me out." Sookie shouted to the last remaining threat.

"You will bleed to death before you catch me." He mocked, and the constant ***POP*-**ping as he flurried around the room seemed to add insult to injury.

_'Not if I leave the blade in.' _She remembered Eric telling her that if she were ever impaled like this, not to remove the weapon, that it would stunt the bleeding until he could heal her.

Following the sound of the errant fairy, Sookie let out little telekinetic blasts, hoping to disorient him long enough to catch him. When this did not work, and she could feel her power waning, Sookie expanded her blue, physical aura, filling the entire room with it until only a small space remained, and her tormentor was forced to go in the area she left for him.

In a brief instant of surprise and fear, the fairy looked up at the creature that had toppled his revolution and raised his hands as if to plead for his life. No bargains could be uttered, though, for Sookie took her last shot at him, and the last of her threats was vanquished in a satisfying burst of blood and flesh.

With her remaining strength, Sookie pushed the blue aura out as far, and with as much power as she could muster. The walls around her buckled and began to tremble as they crumbled around her. The foundation shook beneath her feet, and she knew that the structure would cave soon.

"Finally..." Sookie sighed, falling to her knees, an ethereal blue light encasing her eyes, "..._Eric..._"

**TBC**

**PLEASE REMEMBER TO REVIEW, EVERYONE!**


	23. Chapter 23

Keep Me

_A/N: Welcome back, Readers, to chapter twenty-three of __Keep Me__! We are wrapping up shortly, another chapter after this, and then the epilogue! I wanted to give you all a heads up so it would not feel so abrupt... Anyway, it is another Monday night where I have to go to bed early and face an early morning obligation, so, once more I am posting a few hours before midnight. I greatly dislike breaking a routine, but as I said last week- I would rather post early than make you all wait to get it tomorrow evening! As always, thank you to my motivator and bad mood breaker-__**NerdyGirl**__- you are a doll, and I could not hope for a better friend and beta!_

_-Andi_

**Chapter Twenty-Three:**

"ERIC!"

"CHILD!"

Pam and Godric stood frozen in the door of Eric's cell, disbelieving what they saw. The mentally unstable vampire's arms were elbow deep in the wall, though the wall was undamaged, save the blood that painted its surface.

They remained staring in awe as the Viking's arms seemed to grasp something, and pull it through the wall and into his chest.

"Sookie..?" Pam took a tentative step into the room, her brain not trusting what her eyes claimed. The overwhelming aroma of copious amounts of Fairy blood had both vampires holding their breaths to resist temptation.

The little blonde collapsed into Eric's body, and his broken, bleeding arm was against her mouth instantly, while his uninjured arm drew the sword that impaled her from its gruesome sheath. Crimson floods spewed from the wound for a moment before the gaping hole began to close.

As Sookie weakly nursed on the elixir of Eric's essence, the pair of vampires in the doorway only continued to watch in apprehension. They could feel her now through her connection to Eric, and what they felt was not promising. Her life force was still fading, despite the consumption of the ancient vampire's blood.

"Sookie, my Bonded." Eric murmured, rocking the boneless body against his sturdy frame. He was trembling, but his fingers against her wound gave him hope. It was closing. Her heart was growing stronger. Her breaths were less labored between the weak mouthfuls of his blood she was swallowing.

The sword that had done the unspeakable damage clattered to the floor as Eric shifted his weight on the formerly unused bed to better hold his beloved, and Godric took an even closer vantage point than Pam. A soft "snap" rented the air as the bones in Eric's forearm reset themselves from his earlier escape, and the vampire sighed as if the relief of the break healing took a huge burden off of him. However, both Pam and Godric knew that the relief came when Sookie's eyes slowly opened.

"You called me home." She smiled up at him, her eyes slowly returning to their natural color as his lost the ethereal glow they had maintained for a short time.

"Yes." Was all Eric could answer. The sweet relief of having her against his body was slowly subduing days worth of torment and insatiable rage. Though the depression persisted, he had to wonder if it was not fear that she could be taken from him again that made that despondency linger.

"I love you." She murmured, reaching up to stroke his cheek, "Thank you for givin' me all the strength you had left to fight."

Eric's eyes squeezed shut, bloody tears trailing down his face as he buried them in her hair. She smelled strongly of fairy, was coated in fairy blood, but all he wanted was to hold her in his arms for the rest of eternity. After spending several days in a state of perpetual bloodlust, it was quelled easily by just the feel of her familiar, little body in his arms. It was scream or sob for him in that moment, and he chose the latter. Who knew that the mending of the heart could be so painful?

"They will be well." Godric put his hand on Pam's shoulder, "Let them alone for now." He smiled at the younger vampire before bestowing a relieved smile on his Child. Days of agonizing over ending his Child's existence were lifted, and he could focus once more on living out his own.

The pair left quietly, and Eric lifted Sookie into his arms, carrying her out of his cell and back to the room that they had shared the last time they lived in Godric's regal estate. Though it seemed ages ago that they had resided here, Eric thought with vacant amusement that it had been little over a week or so since they thought they had left it behind for good.

Crawling onto their borrowed bed, Eric laid Sookie out before him as he curled up beside her, not daring to take his eyes off of his Bonded. He would never let her leave his sight again, he vowed silently. Sookie chuckled.

"You're not goin' to want to watch me use the bathroom for the next couple centuries, are you?" She teased, and Eric realized he had felt that thought so intently that he had projected it at her, "Our enemies amongst the Fae are dead, Eric. I saw to that." She cast her eyes down with sudden shame, "I'm so sorry, Darlin'. I could've come home sooner. I could have spared you days of pain, but I killed the Water Clan while I had the chance." She admitted.

Eric's lips quirked in the smallest of smiles, "I am proud of you." He told her quietly, "The suffering is worth the insurance you have provided us."

"I wanted to come back to you so badly once I knew how." She whispered, tears building in her eyes, "Oh, God!" She sobbed, "It hurt so much! It hurt even worse when I knew I could come back to you, and turned away... Like in that horrible dream! I had to... I..."

"Shh, you did what you knew you must. Do not apologize for that." He pressed a finger to her lips, "I am going to call Ludwig. I want to be sure that you are all right."

"Nooo," she grabbed his healed arm, "stay." She hugged that limb tightly.

"I am not going anywhere." He lay back down, placing an arm around her waist and pulling her close. "Ask Godric to call Ludwig telepathically." He suggested.

Sookie nodded, liking that plan much better, _'Godric, can you call Ludwig to check us out?'_

_'Certainly, Sookie.'_ Godric's reply was quick, and Sookie nuzzled deeper into Eric's chest.

***POP***

Every glass object in the room shattered at the sound- the mirror, the window, the vase on the dresser- all were destroyed as Sookie instinctively reacted to the sound of someone teleporting near her.

Ludwig merely laughed, "Thank you for not blowing me up, Little Girl." She chuckled as she sat on the bed, "Have you two made love yet?"

"No." Eric shook his head, "She was badly injured when she returned to me. My first instinct was to give her my blood."

"That is something, at least." The doctor laughed, "Neither of you is any worse for wear now. Make love. It will help you both disperse the lingering depression. I promise it will all feel better afterwards. And, Little Girl, I want you to eat heartily once you have had your fill of your vampire. I can tell by your life force that you used far too much magic while in such a state. You are lucky you had the strength to make it home. I will be by tomorrow to give you a thorough exam, but I promise to call first." She chuckled again, "Now, have plenty of sex before you do anything else." And with that the little doctor teleported back out of the room.

"Sookie-"

"Shh." She leaned into his lips, "Sex first, words later."

"You are healed enough?" He pressed.

"Mmm, go gentle for now. I'll let you know if anythin's wrong." She assured, wrapping her arms around his neck and slowly pulling him atop of her. The woman realized quickly that Eric was being more than just gentle. His hands ghosted across her skin as though she was made of sugar, and he seemed hesitant to try and remove her clothes at first. Sookie sighed and undid the belt of her dress, before wriggling her way out of it, going so far as to ignore the ripping sound that occurred when she got a little too aggressive with the garment. The dress made a disgusting, slopping noise as she flung it to the floor, layers of grime, blood, and flesh clinging to it.

"I have never seen something as beautiful as you are right now." Eric murmured as he grabbed the side of her panties and yanked them with a primal tear.

Sookie giggled, "I think that's the separation sickness talkin'." She teased, craning her neck upward to capture his lips. He kissed her hungrily as his fingers went between her thighs to prepare her. His impatience was growing as he stroked the center of her nether lips, his thumb circling the little bundle of nerves that caused her leg to strain and jump reflexively. "Oooh, too slooooow." She complained, arching her hips against him.

"You are not ready yet." Eric answered, leaving her lips to toy with an erect nipple with his teeth. He captured the rosebud with his teeth and gave it a firm, sharp pull, and in turn tore a gasp from Sookie's lips, as well as increased the moisture between her thighs, "I have been waiting for you all week, where you have needed me only a few hours. We need to be even, do we not?" He gave her other breast the same treatment and his fingers began to slide effortlessly into her wet channel. "See? Now that little pussy is begging the way I like." He brought his dew coated fingers to his mouth and licked them clean, his eyes rolling back into his head, "Ah, I had forgotten your period was about to start before you were taken." His mouth trailed down her abdomen, taking a moment to kiss the angry, red raised skin where she had been wounded, before engulfing the surface of her womanhood in his mouth, "It has not begun yet," he gave her slit a long, penetrating lick, "but I can taste the change." His tongue delved as deep as it could, wriggling and sending Sookie into an agonizing pleasure.

"Oh, Eric!" She groaned her fingers tangling in his hair as her body shimmied along with his movements, effectively grinding Eric's mouth harder against her needy center. As he felt her getting closer and closer to oblivion, he slowed down and began to rise above her once again, "Noooo." She moaned, reaching down between them to stroke Eric even as she protested.

"I need to feel you come around me." Eric told her as he took his member from her hands and guided it to her entrance instead. The head of his cock traced the slit that coated him with its juices, causing him to revel at the sensation momentarily before sliding deep inside of her inviting warmth, "Go-Gods!" He gasped, thrusting slowly, enjoying every tremor and squeeze of her inner walls, "Sookie, my Bonded." He groaned while burying his face in the blood smeared hollow between her neck and shoulder.

"Eric!" She moaned, her legs wrapping firmly around his waist, climbing his chest with her knees to let him in deeper. There was no way to get him far enough inside her body and it made her crazy.

Lifting his head from her shoulder, Eric captured her lips, his tongue delving deep into her mouth, and his hands found their bounty in her own, tangling their fingers, their palms pressed firmly to one another's as his hips stayed close to hers with hard, deep thrusts. Their chests smashed together, her legs hugging his sides. Eric could not imagine how their bodies could get any closer in that moment, but their souls found a way.

As their bodies moved together, Eric could feel a pounding against, no, _in_, his chest. It was her heart beating inside him, it was her blood flowing within his stagnant veins, and it was her soul making love to his own. Between his roar and her scream as they came, a vocal harmony sang throughout the estate as two spirits clung to one another, vowing to never let go again.

"I love you." Eric whispered in Sookie's ear as she panted beneath him.

The days of torment were lifted off of the vampire's chest. Assurance that he would never need to feel that way again were silently vowed between them. He was finally at peace.

"Mmm... I love you, too." She murmured happily. "Eric?"

"Yes, my Mate?" Eric kissed the shell of her ear.

"Wash me?"

"With pleasure." He climbed off of the bed, pulling Sookie into his arms as he made their way to the bathroom. He was holding her against his side as he felt her legs go limp, and he started the water in the shower. The grime that covered her body required that they shower, but he would make it quick and have them in the bath once all of the gore rinsed away.

While Eric held his Bonded in his arms, soaping a wash cloth one handed, he felt a strong nostalgia, for he had bathed her in such a way the first night they had met. Of course, she was much more aware than she had been in that first shower, but her body was just as boneless.

Once they were cleansed, Eric wrapped Sookie in a towel as he let the bathtub begin to fill, and as it did, he came back and sat on the tiled floor, pulling Sookie into his lap as they waited.

"A bath too?" Sookie asked tiredly.

"Yes. I want to be warm and holding you. I have felt so cold these last few days. I have not felt the cold in so long, but without you, it was as if there were arctic winds blowing around inside me." Eric whispered.

A tear fell down Sookie's cheek as he admitted this, "I am a horrible a person. I let you suffer to exact my vengeance." She choked.

"You knew that I was suffering." Eric said, not asked, "Which meant that you were suffering, too. You fought on despite the pain, and did what you had to do to keep our family safe. It was a sacrifice we both had to endure, but it made us stronger. It gave us more power and security. Do not berate yourself. I am proud of you, and I do not hold you responsible for our suffering." He kissed the top of her head as he stood up and carried her into the tub. "You did kill Niall while you were at it, yes?"

Sookie nodded, "Yes, and when I did, it was like an explosion in my gut. All I wanted after I killed him was to keep killin', it was like the only time I felt remotely sane was when I was covered in a fresh coat of blood." She sounded unsure, maybe even a little frightened at the realization. It had been easy to go about her murder spree in Elfyria, under the influence of despair. Now, in Eric's arms, it did not feel so justified.

"Yes, that is genuine bloodlust. Vampires experience it in battle and in extreme anger. Those of us who have dealt with these situations have better control of it, and are not so easily seduced by the impulses. You, however, would have been like a fawn in an open field. You would have run amok, oblivious to the dangers." Eric kissed her neck as his hands left her hair to play with her breasts absentmindedly.

"I don't know about "oblivious", I took pretty good precautions while I took down the Water Fae..." She pouted.

Eric smirked, giving a nipple a hard pinch and earning a yelp of surprise from Sookie, "And those good precautions are why you returned to me with a sword through your belly?"

Sookie reached under her arm and gave one of Eric's nipples a hard pinch as payback, he did not even bat an eyelash at the retribution, "I killed over fifty people a few hours ago and only got touched once. I think that's pretty freakin' spectacular." She huffed, and Eric chuckled before tilting her chin back and to the side to kiss her mouth.

"Tell me how you disposed of Niall. I want to bask in the glory of your kill."

Sookie shrugged, "I ripped his limbs off one by one and then blew out his chest. I gave his head to Claudine as proof of death. She will be the new queen of Elfyria, I guess."

"Claudine?"

"One of my last livin' relatives. I'm not quite sure what kind of relative she would be. Niall was her grandfather, and he was my great grandfather." She felt puzzled, and it made Eric laugh.

"We will refer to her as your cousin. Technically she is your second cousin, but we will not split hairs." Eric told her.

"So, if Claudine is my second cousin, if my cousin Hadley had a kid, what would you call them?"

"A first cousin once removed." Eric answered, playing with her damp hair.

"That's confusin'." She grumbled, making Eric chuckle and kiss the back of her head.

"That is why we will just call Claudine your cousin." Eric told her. "What was her involvement in regards to you?"

Sookie grimaced, "None. Not really, anyway. You remember how we thought Niall wanted to use me as a brood mare?" Eric growled at the thought, "Well, he didn't. He was usin' Claudine for that for about a decade. She doesn't know how long she'd been a prisoner, so her memories couldn't really tell me how long it had been goin' on, but Niall locked her in a cell a long time ago and just had male fairies comin' in and rapin' her over and over. I don't know if she'll be able to have kids after all that." Sookie thought sadly, "I don't know if even a fairy's body can come back from what hers was put through."

"It is good that Niall is dead." Eric grunted, "He had no honor- even towards his own kin." Sookie nodded in agreement, "What was it that he wanted of you, then?"

"A weapon. Claudine's sister, Claudia, was a Seer, and she foresaw me as bein' able to destroy all enemies of the Brigant line. Of course, Niall just thought that meant HIS enemies... I guess he didn't realize that he had become his own family's worst enemy of all... Anyway, Niall went out of his way to make my life a complete misery so that he could come and be my "savior". He wanted to be to me, what you are, but not with the love." She hid a stray tear by nuzzling Eric's arm as it tightened around her, "He thought he could control me that way.

"The Water Fae were only a minor concern to him." Sookie told him, "Niall had many more enemies than just them. He wanted me to take care of the remainin' revolutionaries as an example of my power, and in turn, his power. But he would've made me his personal guard. Hence why he wished to make me his concubine. He wanted me to be devoted to him, so that I would protect him at all costs. He was goin' to train me to be his personal, royal guard and sex slave."

"But how could he think that would work? How could he think that you would agree to any of that when you are _mine_?" Sookie craned her neck back to look at Eric, she could feel his confusion and sadness.

"Niall was gifted at magic. He was goin' to perform a spell specifically to transfer my imprint of you onto him. When I saw his face, I would see your face. That was much easier to do than trainin' me to like him." Sookie explained.

"Why didn't he do that when he first caught you?" Eric asked.

"He had begun. The haspberries that he poisoned me with were the beginnin' of the spell. They would lower my cognitive abilities, and make me easier to manipulate. However, he was lettin' me remain myself for a time so that he could revel in knowin' how you agonized over losin' me. He was enjoyin' watchin' me suffer, as well as knowin' that it meant that you were sufferin' just as bad, if not worse. He was a rather sadistic fucker."

"I have known that." Eric grumbled. "If you were never meant for André, why did Niall agree to let you out of the mental institution?"

Sookie sighed, "It was more of a point André had made. Niall hadn't considered what livin' my entire life in that place would do to me. When André pointed it out, Niall gave the go ahead about gettin' me out. If I became too mentally damaged, even fae magic couldn't fix it."

"And your uncle? If you were not meant as a brood mare, why keep you untouched?" Eric pressed.

Sookie made a disgusted face, "Eric wanted that... uh..."

"Do not even speak the word." Eric hushed her, "I have only just ceased my raging, and could not take another bout of it." He kissed her crown and held her tighter, "So the entire thing was a dog and pony show. None of our information about Niall was correct." Eric did not know whether to be impressed, or livid.

"Maybe not accurate, but some of it was true. Just... Not in the context we thought. Niall wanted to demonstrate my power by killin' off the Water Clan, but he couldn't keep me in Elfyria indefinitely. He even said himself that hybrids can't stay in that realm for very long. At least not in a functionin' sense." Eric gave her an inquisitive look, "He was goin' to force me to drink a draught when my abilities weren't needed. It's a suspended animation potion, kinda like cryogenics, but magical not scientific. Then, he'd put me in a box and store me away until he needed to use his weapon again."

"He should be grateful that he is dead. If he knew what I would have done with him, he would beg for a second death." Eric was snarling quietly under his breath.

They were quiet a moment before Sookie asked in a whisper, "Is Angie still alive?"

Eric was slow to answer, "Yes, but she was left more than a little worse for wear. I am regretful to admit that I did not take your abduction well, and became violent towards her. I left her alive, but I could not tell you how bad the damage I inflicted was." He looked down at her, "Are you angry with me?"

"Not angry. It's a difficult emotion..." She shook her head, "I feel upset that you hurt Angie, even though none of this was her fault, but I have felt your despair and bloodlust. I killed a lot of people while I was in Elfyria, some without considerin' if they deserved it before it was too late to change my mind. I understand what happened to you, and even though it hurts me to know that Angie suffered at your hands, I also know that... That it must have taken a lot of self control to leave her alive in the state you were in. I'm just glad that Godric kept you from goin' on the same rampage that I did."

"It was not without difficulty. My Maker was forced to call in a favor. He contacted the King of the Mississippi to send over three vampires older than myself so that they could secure me to the ground, and prevent me from either going on a rampage, or giving myself the final death." Eric told her quietly.

Blanching at Eric's admittance, she asked, "How... How did they secure you?"

"They impaled several steel re-barbs through my body and several feet into the concrete ground beneath me. I am not certain, but I believe I spent four or five days like that. However, a few hours ago, something came over me. It was not the Bond, but more of an intuition, perhaps? Something inside of me was telling me that you needed to come home, and that I could bring you back to me." Eric was stroking her hair absentmindedly, staring off through the steam in the air from the hot bath, "My blood was already spilling, and I covered the wall with my blood, just calling you over and over again in my head until my hands passed through the wall, and then, you were in my arms." He looked down at her with a smile, "It was a miracle."

"It was the Bloodletting Blade." Sookie replied.

"Pardon?" Eric's brow scrunched.

"Remember the names of the blade? Vampires called it The Bloodletting Blade. The dwarves called it Ong Zan, which is One Blood. The fairies called it Erfea, which is One Soul. The angels called it Coueretella, which is To My Heart. It was a knife forged by dwarves, enchanted by fairies, and blessed by angels. A pair that united themselves with the blade could never be forcefully parted. If they wish to be together, wards, spells and even realms can't keep them apart. One of the pair is called the Master of the blade, and he's like a lighthouse. I can always find you, or you can forcefully bring me back to you. We just have to want it." Sookie explained to him, "Claudine said it's easier for me to go back to you, than it is for you to bring me, because it's easier to follow than it is to lead, but also because you wouldn't know how to do it. Either way, you figured it out." She turned against his chest, her hand reaching up to stroke his face, "But you can figure out anythin'." She laughed.

Godric was in his study, relaxing against his chair, feeling the weight of several days of anguish rising off of his body. As he sat in quiet reflection, he realized that he should call the King of Mississippi, and let him know that all was well within his bloodline once more.

"_Godric," _Russell's voice sounded politely sympathetic as he answered his phone, _"I am so sorry for the loss of such a promising progeny."_ He crooned.

"What do you mean?" Godric frowned at the condolences he was receiving before he realized what Russell meant and then laughed, "Eric is not dead. In fact he is very well. His Bonded has made it back to us. A little frayed around the edges, but she is recovering from her ordeal, and Ludwig has already been in to see them. She advised that they be left alone for quite some time; apparently part of recovering from such extreme separation sickness is re-consummating the union several times over." He chuckled.

"_Alive? Your Child's Bonded made it back from Elfyria alive? Who assisted her?" _Godric could hear the uneasiness in Russell's voice.

Godric could hear the conversation that took place between his Child and Sookie, but chose not to divulge the true happenings of Sookie's return, "She fought her way out, found an ally, and managed to obtain passage out of Elfyria." He summarized, not lying, but not being entirely forthcoming.

"_The little hybrid did all of that? My, Godric, your nest has become quite formidable. I am grateful to be in good standings with you. A vampire could not have done what she did if this is the truth."_ Russell sounded a little nervous.

"Sookie is very gifted, and well trained by her Bonded and our bloodline as a tactician. I am grateful that my Child managed to tie himself to one such as her. Not only can Sookie protect herself, no matter the foe, she will do what she must, even if it means sustaining great agony to accomplish it." Godric praised, "It will be a grand evening when she is brought over."

"_Will that be soon?"_ Edgington asked.

"No. With her fae heritage, and her regular consumption of Eric's blood, her youth and longevity will be extended greater lengths than a normal human's would under the same circumstances. She wishes to remain as she is for a time, and Eric wishes the same thing. Sookie is very young still, and Eric wishes for her to have more human experiences before bringing her over." Godric explained.

"_That is quite sentimental. You do not oppose such carelessness?"_

"Not only do I not oppose it, I encourage it!" Godric assured, "Even as a mortal, Sookie is a force to be reckoned with. I do not see any sort of disadvantage by proceeding this way. In fact, I find it very beneficial to my bloodline."

"_Well, it is your bloodline, and I know you protect it fiercely. If you see no harm, but actual benefit, then I more than trust your judgment. Thank you for calling me, as well as updating me on the happy reunion."_ Russell sounded genuinely appreciative, _"I would fancy meeting this charming creature when she is up for a journey."_

"I will be sure to extend your invitation to them once they are recuperated and willing to leave their bedroom." Godric laughed.

"_Fair journey, Godric. May our paths cross again in good favor."_

"Fair journey, Russell." Godric replied and hung up.

Eric groaned as Sookie raised herself slightly against his chest and sunk back down on his erect phallus. She hummed happily as he filled her, but her movements were unhurried and gentle. Eric's arms wrapped about her waist, assisting her in her sedate movements, merely enjoying the sensation of her warmth wrapped around him as they continued their soak in the tub.

"Sorry," she gasped, "I needed you inside of me so badly." Her nails dug into the flesh of his arm. "Even though it was only a few hours for me bein' away from you, I need to feel close to you."

"Never apologize for that, my Bonded." Eric nipped her earlobe as he flexed beneath her and gave a bit harder of an impact where their bodies were joined. "I felt the same, but..."

"But you're still worried that I might be injured?" Sookie guessed.

"Yes." He rocked her body against his slowly, kissing and nibbling her shoulder the entire time. Looking down between their bodies, he could still see the dark scab of her healing wound. "I should give you more of my blood soon; perhaps even cover the wounds with it. Otherwise it will scar."

"Part of me wants to let it scar." She admitted, "A reminder of what we have endured."

Eric shook his head, "I never want to be reminded of this week."

"I do."

"Why?" Eric asked breathlessly.

Sookie was quiet a moment, enjoying the feel of him moving inside of her, before she answered, "Because, don't get mad at me for feelin' this way, but I feel like I proved somethin' over this time. I feel like I proved, and earned the right to stand beside you. That I'm not with you for protection. I don't need you standin' over my shoulder, or Pam or Godric. I earned the right to stand and fight alongside all of you."

It was Eric's turn to be silent as he absorbed her claim, and he found it to be not only true, but reasonable, "When we took Sophie-Anne's throne, you felt like you were tagging along. Nothing more than a lockpick and radar for threats. You felt like a tool, not a comrade."

"Yes." Sookie admitted.

Eric squeezed her tightly, "Would you like me to let it scar?"

"Not if seeing it will hurt you." Sookie shook her head.

"Perhaps it will be a good reminder for me, too."

"How so?" Sookie's eyes squeezed shut as another delicious impact took her breath away.

"It will remind me of your strength and perseverance. Sometimes, I find myself needing a reminder that you are not the frightened little girl I brought home a year ago. You became a self-assured woman who could handle herself in battle. You became my equal so quickly in so many ways. What you lack in experience, still, is something that will fill in over time; which we have more than enough of. Every time I resist letting you leave my side, this scar will remind me that it is the last one you will ever receive." His hands came to her breasts now, reacquainting himself with their weight and shape, not that he could forget an inch of her body, especially in such a short time frame where all he could think of was her.

"So you'll leave it?" Sookie asked, moving a bit more frantically now.

"Yes."

"AH!" She bit her lip as he pinched her nipples hard with his fingertips. His movements became just as hurried as hers now, and his thrusts more demanding. As they raced for their climaxes, she begged, "Drink from me!" and his fangs did not hesitate to puncture the base of her throat and swallow her blood greedily.

Pam was lying on her bed once more, though in much better shape than the last time. In her hours spent mending on this mattress, she had discovered something about herself, and come to enjoy the peaceful reflections that came to her. Was it a human thing to meditate like this? She did not know, nor did she care. In fact, it seemed to offer an environment of solitude that was both insightful and psychologically expanding.

The peace in her connection to Eric was one that she reveled in. After days of torment, either from his accidental experiences that he shared, or the torture of not knowing what was happening with her Maker at all, Pam felt subdued and content with what he offered her now.

A portion of her longed, briefly for the same connection her Maker had found in Sookie. Was she too broken or cynical to ever have that? Did it bother her that she may have to wait a millennium or longer to find it, and recognize it when it arrived like Eric had so swiftly in Sookie?

Letting out a long sigh that she felt all the way to her toes, Pam grunted and sprung from her bed. That was enough melancholy sensitivity for one day, she decided. Now, she went in search of Godric.

"Master Godric." Pam announced herself before approaching her Maker's Master.

"Good evening, Pam." Godric nodded to her and she made her way the rest of distance to him. "Is there something that you needed?" He asked.

"No." She sat gracefully in the plump chair in front of his desk. "I was considering going out, now that Eric has recovered. Did you wish to accompany me?"

"I have a great deal of work to catch up on now that Eric is no longer in danger, and I can once more concentrate on my obligations." He admitted with disappointment.

"How long will you remain a Regent, do you think?" Pam asked.

"It is not all that difficult to handle. I may consider keeping the position for some time. Perhaps until the time Sookie is brought over." Godric became thoughtful, "She could be a very interesting vampire, and I might like to enjoy her newborn stages alongside Eric. However, I would hate to impose, or take away from his enjoyment of raising her into a promising Bonded Child."

Pam grimaced, "She could remain mortal for a very long time between Eric's blood and her heritage. Perhaps a few hundred years before she truly begins to age, and wishes to halt the process. I know that Eric wished for her to look closer to his own age before transforming her."

"Yes, he does have an appreciation for more developed women, and given the rounding out her figure made in the last few months, I have no doubt that she could be quite luscious, given time to mature, that is." He added.

"I suppose that with such a mate, he will need the enforcement of his Regent to keep them left alone. Especially by the Council." Pam continued.

"That is always a possibility, but even the Council cannot cause too much trouble for a Bonded couple. It would be an infraction against magical law if they were to cause them an unjust torment." Godric reminded her.

"Yes." Pam was thoughtful a moment before asking, "What do you think of her Fae relative that she came to free while in Elfyria. Any potential threat there?"

Godric shook his head, "The Fae have a rather extensive history for favoring those that have saved their lives. I am certain that her cousin will try and honor Sookie in some way, and actually poses a great alliance to us."

"I am glad that you feel that way. It was a Fae that you saved that gifted you the Bloodletting Blade, yes?"

"Ah, the former King of Elfyria bestowed that upon me during the Vampire/Fae war that I fought in during my fledgling days. I was a mere 100 years old. I protected a fleeing female fairy that was with child. It was obvious to me that she would be but a casualty of war, that she was not fighting, but trying to save her unborn child. When the war ended, she told her husband, who I did not know was King of Elfyria, of the young vampire warrior that had not only spared her, but gotten her to safety. The King came to me, at great risk to his person, to gift me the blade. He only told me that if a vampire were to use the blade during their Bonding ceremony, that it would offer a protection that would never let their souls be parted from one another. I did not understand what it meant until I saw Eric pull Sookie from another realm, and back to his side." Godric became pensive as he sat across from Pam. "That female I saved gave birth to Niall's future wife. Of course, he had already had Fintan with a human woman before Dahlina's birth, but Dahlina is the one who made Niall royalty by marriage."

"I wonder if it was destiny." Pam was a bit distant as she spoke, her mind several miles away.

Godric smiled, "Destiny... Yes. I believe it was. Myself, Eric, and you. All made for a girl thousands of years in the making... Yes. I believe the universe foresaw Sookie, and banded together a strong bloodline to protect and love her."

"But why is she so special?" It was not a snide or disbelieving inquiry, but an awed one.

"Because sometimes, the world needs a little extra light in the darkness."

**TBC**

**REMEMBER TO REVIEW, EVERYONE!**


	24. Chapter 24

Keep Me

_A/N: Welcome back, Readers, to chapter twenty-four of __Keep Me!__ This is our last "chapter" before the epilogue! Can you believe how much has happened since December, and this story was just a baby? I know I cannot! As always, thanks to my beta and friend, __**Nerdygirl**__! Could not have come this far without you!_

_-Andi_

**Chapter Twenty-Four:**

Eric and Sookie were back, once more in their new home in Shreveport. Gazing at the house once again, feeling like it was all brand new for the second time, Sookie went flying towards the door, only to be scooped up by Eric and carried inside and to their bed.

They made love for hours before they eventually ended up sprawled on the kitchen floor, Sookie's half eaten sandwich lying on the counter, forgotten.

"It is good to be home." Eric sighed appreciatively as he turned onto his side to stroke the long curve of his lover's back.

Turning her head to smile at him, Sookie asked, "Do you think Angie will ever want to talk to me again?"

Eric smirked, "I believe she is more likely to have aversions towards me, not you. However, you have learned to drive, and the threat of the fae has been eliminated. You are also more than capable of defending yourself from anything that lurks about during the day. Perhaps you should invite Angie out on a daytime excursion."

Frowning, Sookie worried her lip between her teeth, "I don't want to be away from you again, though." She admitted.

"Sookie," Eric pressed his forehead to hers, "you will not be far, and you cannot expect to live your life with me attached to you so completely, correct? You wanted friends for so long, and though you and Pam are close, you are not what one would call "kindred spirits". So, go out, be with people again."

Smiling at him, Sookie pressed her lips to his, "Okay... And if I get in trouble, it's not like you can't reach through time and space and drag me back to your side."

Eric laughed loudly, "Precisely!"

"Do you think it's too late to call her?"

"It is still before midnight. If I remember correctly, your friend is quite the night owl. Regardless of whether or not she agrees to meet with you, I am certain she would be relieved to know that you are home and well." Eric assured.

With a quick nod, Sookie sprung to her feet to find the house phone. She dialed the number of her Witch friend and beamed to herself when it was answered.

"_Hello?"_

"Angie?"

"_Sookie!? Is that you? Are you all right? What happened? Where are you?"_ Angie asked in a rapid fire inquiry.

"Yes, it's me. I'm just fine. I got abducted by fairies, but I'm home now." Sookie explained.

"_Fairies?"_ Angie sounded shocked.

"It's a really long story... I could tell you all about it over lunch tomorrow... If you still want to see me..?" Sookie suggested.

"_Lunch? Like during the day? As in, without your vampire bodyguard lover?"_ Angie sounded hopeful, and it made the telepath sad.

"Yes, without Eric. I'm sorry about what he did to you, are you okay?" Sookie asked carefully.

"_I'm not going to lie, Sugar. Your man scares the living hell out of me. I knew to be wary of vampires, but I never knew how bad they could hurt you so quickly! I mean, the bruises are fading now, but he cracked a few ribs."_

"I am so sorry!" Sookie gasped, "I could come to your place if you're not feelin' good enough to go out-"

"_No! I need to get out of this house!"_ Angie laughed gently,_ "Want to go to Danio's for lunch tomorrow? It's in the same square as the café from last time."_

"That'd be great. How about 1 o'clock?"

"_Awesome! It'll be our first outing without a chaperone!"_ Angie sounded excited.

"I'll see you there!" Sookie hung up right after Angie said her goodbyes and went to find Eric. He was sitting at the kitchen counter, still naked and watching her amusedly, "She'll still hang out with me!"

"So I heard." Eric smiled, "Please, give her my apologies for the way I acted last time?"

"Of course."

"And I will give you plenty of money before you leave so that you can buy both of your meals, and perhaps you would like to go shopping with her. You will have plenty to spend on your little friend, too." He added.

"That's so nice of you, Darlin'!" Sookie gave him a long kiss, "I think she was a little excited about it just bein' us. Not just because of what happened, but because we never have just been the two of us. I can tell from her mind that there are a lot of things she always wants to discuss that she holds back on because you're there."

"Yes, it is difficult to have a "girlfriend" when your lover is sitting right there listening. I know that there are things girls do not like to speak about when men are present." He chuckled.

Sookie shrugged, "I've never had a problem with it."

"That is because you never learned social cues growing up." Eric smirked, "Your Witch is quite open when she speaks around me, but I can feel her hesitation. Mostly, her flippancy around me is a blatant attempt at showing me that she is unafraid of me. I have no doubt that if she were to be around me again, she would not have the same cadence."

"So, this is one of those things everyone knows except me." Sookie frowned.

Eric laughed at that, "No, many people who did not have your disadvantages share this trait. However, where the trait is endearing for you because of the innocence of naivety, others are more of an annoyance because it stems from a need to be the center of attention."

His Bonded nodded slowly as she absorbed this before giving him a playful smile, "Want to take me back to bed for a while? I have a lot of time to kill before I need to start getting ready to meet with Angie."

"Mmmm," he purred, "that is quite appealing. I will need to get my fill of you before you leave me for the day."

Sitting nervously in her BMW, Sookie realized this would be her first excursion alone in the car. Though Eric had let her drive them all the way back from New Orleans the previous night, again, she had never driven alone.

"Relax, Sookie, and have a good time. Do not be mad at me if I check in on you regularly, though." He looked apologetic as she pulled out of the garage.

"I'll probably be checkin' in on you too!" She laughed as she craned her neck to not overrun the driveway.

"I will look forward to it!" Eric called after her as she pulled out of the driveway.

A deep pang reverberated in his heart. He hated to see her leave, but he knew that she would be only twenty minutes away, even less with the way he drove.

_Pull it together, Northman. You have left her behind for Sheriff's duties for much longer and greater distances._ Eric thought this to himself as he went back into the house, but it was little comfort. Pausing by a window, he watched her drive down the street, until he could see her no longer. It would be a very long day if he did not find something to distract himself, and quickly!

"Whoa, nice car!" Angie hollered as she recognized the little blonde that pulled up near the restaurant. "And you drove yourself! That's great!"

Sookie laughed as she got out of the car and hit to remote to lock it. "How are you feelin'?" She asked, giving the other woman a very gentle hug.

"No worse for wear now." She shrugged softly, "Although, Goddess help me whenever I sneeze, or cough... Or sigh."

The girl crooned sympathetically, "Eric wanted me to tell you how sorry he is for what he did to you. I understand if you want to tell him to shove it, but he did ask me to give you his apology."

Angie smirked, "Well, I _do_ want to tell him to shove his apology up his ass. I mean, did he just jump to the conclusion that I helped that old guy take you or something?"

"No," Sookie shook her head, "it wasn't that he thought you helped. Y'know how I don't like bein' away from Eric?"

Angie snorted, "_Noooo_, I hadn't noticed one, little bit."

Sookie rolled her eyes, "Well, it has more than just to do with my gift. We are Bonded. I've told you a little bit about what that means. You know that we can feel each other from great distances." The girls were walking towards the restaurant as Sookie explained, "Well, when that fairy took me, he took me into a completely different realm, one where the time differences were very extreme. Every hour was a _day_ here. With that much time difference, Eric's end of the Bond couldn't feel me. He experienced my kidnappin' as my death in the Bond." Angie's jaw dropped at that, "When a vamp loses his Bonded, he goes into a bloodlust. If it weren't for the fact that he could logically reason that I wasn't dead yet, he would have gone on a rampage and killed a lot of people."

"So, you're saying I'm lucky I'm not dead, and so is everyone that was in the café that night?" Angie asked.

Sookie grimaced, "Yes, pretty much."

"So, how long were you gone?" Angie asked.

Sookie did not reply right away as she told the hostess that they needed a table for two. It was the middle of the lunch rush, so she handed Sookie a little electric device that would flash when they could be seated. The women went and stood in the corner before Sookie answered Angie's question.

"For me, it was only about eight hours, but for Eric, it was eight days. By the fourth day, Eric's Maker had to bring in other vampires to run thick, metal bars through his body and into the ground under him, just to keep him from either killin' himself, or goin' on a murder spree." Sookie told her, "My end of the Bond was crazy. Since Eric was in a perpetual state of bloodlust, I was the one goin' on a rampage."

"What do you mean?" Angie was gaping at her friend.

"I killed a lot of people in the other realm." Sookie admitted quietly.

Angie stared at her friend for a long time, "I... Wow... Were they _bad_?" She finally asked.

"Yes. There were only a few that I can't say for sure didn't have it comin', but I needed to get back to Eric so badly, but there was somethin' I had to do before I could think of leavin' Elfyria." Her eyes became distant as she remembered taking on the Water Clan, "There were a group of fairies that want to kill people like me. I had to take them down while I had the chance."

"Did you get hurt?" Angie asked breathlessly. Looking behind her to be sure no one was loking, Sookie raised the shirt tail from the waist of her skirt, displaying the puckered scar from where she had been run through. "_Holy shit!_" Angie's eyes were perfectly round as Sookie tucked her shirt back in, "How the hell... Does it go all the way through?" She asked.

Sookie nodded, "I got impaled from behind."

"Wouldn't vamp blood have kept it from scarring?" Angie asked.

"I asked Eric to leave it. It's kind of my "badge of honor"." She chuckled.

The little electric brick started shaking and blinking, and Sookie took it back to the hostesses' stand, Angie in tow. They were seated then, and Angie leaned across the table to whisper conspiratorially, "There was quite a perk to Eric almost killing me."

"Huh?" Sookie frowned, wondering how being beaten so badly by a 1000 year old Viking could have a silver lining.

"Well, the girl who found me in the ladies' room ran out, screaming for an ambulance, and there was a cop there who had, like, triage training. He's a Were, and smelled that a vampire had done it to me, so he stayed with me the whole time, even at the hospital. His name's Clay. He's so cute, too! He's got black hair and big hazel green eyes. He's very muscular, and just..." Angie made a purring sound in the back of her throat, as if that were the only way to describe how attractive she found him. "Anyway, we started dating the second I was out of the hospital. Since he's a Supe, I told him a bit about what happened. I didn't mention Eric's name, though." She assured.

"So, you've been seein' this Clay Were for a couple weeks now, then?" Sookie asked.

"Yeah, we've gone on two dates, but we talk all the time." Angie was grinning, "I was telling him this morning about meeting up for lunch with you. He was apprehensive after what happened the last time."

Sookie's eyes went round at that, "You told him _what_ exactly about me, and what happened?"

"Don't worry, I just told him I was meeting a friend for lunch. He doesn't know it was you I was with the last time, only that the last time I went out with a girlfriend was when I got attacked. He _did_ feel a lot better that I was going out during the day, though."

"I'll probably never get to meet Clay." Sookie frowned, "He'd smell Eric all over me, and recognize his scent from the vampire that attacked you."

"Well, if things go well between him and I, and we give the relationship thing a run at the long haul, I'll explain to him how things really went down. I don't think he'll ever trust Eric, anyway, just because Weres and Vamps don't really trust one another to begin with." Angie laughed.

"That's true. They'll work together under the right circumstances, or with proper compensation, but they don't really like each other." Sookie agreed.

The waitress came and took their drink orders then, and it was not long before their food was also put in request. As the two women chatted, waiting for their meals to arrive, Sookie went rigid and began looking around the restaurant.

"What!? Don't you freakin' do that look! What's wrong!?" Angie demanded in a low hiss, her body thrumming with adrenaline. She really could not stand to get beaten up again so soon.

"There's two fairies in here. I felt them appear just outside the buildin'. They're comin' in now..." Sookie concentrated, but kept her eyes wide open, watching for a threat.

_'What is wrong, Lover?'_ Eric's voice was in her head, and she could feel him becoming aggressive.

_'Hold on, Darlin', I need to concentrate.'_ Sookie sent back to him distractedly, but then relaxed, _'It's my cousin. Don't worry, she's not here for anythin' bad.'_ Sookie smiled at Angie reassuringly, "Don't worry, it's family. They're not here to hurt us." Angie did not relax her rigid posture, and Sookie could see that the woman was breathing fast and shallow, "You're goin' to hyperventilate if you don't calm down... Or your ribs are goin' to really ache." She pointed out, and the jolt of humor managed to shake Angie out of her panic.

"Should I leave?" Angie asked, looking around for a fairy, but not spotting any, that she could tell.

"No. She's not approachin'. Claudine knows I'm telepathic, so she's just thinkin' at me right now. If anyone leaves the table, it will be me." Sookie explained.

"Are you listening to her now?"

"Yes."

"And holding a conversation with me?"

"Yes."

Angie laughed, "Now that's some serious multitasking."

"I've gotten used to it." Sookie smirked. There was no way of telling Angie that linking minds between three vampires and herself took far more concentration than just listening to Claudine and Angie simultaneously. "Ah... Yes, I will have to leave the table for a minute. You're safe, but stay here until I get back... Just in case." Angie groaned at the suggestion. It was not that she wanted to leave her seat, but the prospect that she could be in potential danger if she _did_ was not appealing.

Walking over to the hostess stand, Sookie saw Claudine and Colman standing in the far corner of the waiting area where Sookie and Angie had stood not too long ago.

"Your Majesty." Sookie nodded at her cousin, "Colman. You are both well?"

The female fairy nodded, "Yes, and it is thanks to you. You seem much nicer now that you are under control. I am glad to know that you are usually a calm person." Sookie smirked at Claudine's remark, "Colman and I have managed to take control of the kingdom. It only took a couple of hours to get the guard under proper command; Niall's head was very motivating to the troops. Thank you for it."

"It was my pleasure." Sookie grinned, "Now, what about this Gatekeeper business?"

"Are you interested?" Claudine asked cautiously.

"I wouldn't have left my table if I weren't." Sookie pointed out.

The new queen of Elfyria smiled, "There was once a bloodline in Elfyria that lived to protect the portals through the realms. The mark of the Gatekeeper is a rather impressive saber."

"If you hadn't noticed, I don't really use weapons often." Sookie reminded her cousin.

"No, but it will serve another purpose. The pommel of the Gatekeeper's saber is made of Empyrodite. Whenever the portal is accessed, the Empyrodite will resonate. You do remember where the portal in this realm is, yes?" Claudine asked.

"Yes, it's in the graveyard next to my Gran's old house." Sookie remembered the surprise, though it had been tempered by the nausea, when she recognized where Niall had first taken her after the café. "You expect me to move out of Shreveport to guard the portal?"

"Of course not." Claudine laughed, "You know that you need Empyrodite to use the portal, right?"

"Yes."

"What makes the Gatekeeper's Saber so special is that the blade points to Empyrodite." Claudine explained.

"But they can teleport, and I can't... Yet..." Sookie argued.

"True, but I am sure that you will come into that power soon. Besides, I will make a point to tell any crossing over to your realm, in non-aggressive terms, to check in with you before they go about their business." Claudine assured, "That should lessen your time hunting most down. If they are entering your realm illegally, you will know because they will not wait for you."

"I suppose I can always place an instantaneous passage marker at the portal. Octavia, my witch friend, showed me how to do it, but it takes a lot of energy to do, even for me." Sookie shrugged, "That would give me reason to go to Bon Temps and visit my brother often, though." Nodding to herself, Sookie held out her hand in agreement, "Okay. I'll take the job. Where's my sword?"

Claudine laughed and took Sookie's hand, shaking it. "I have it here. There is a temporary reduction charm on it so that I could give it to you inconspicuously. It will wear off in about five hours, so be sure that you are either home, or somewhere out of view. It would probably be advisable that it lie flat on a surface so that it does not cause you or anything else damage when it returns to size." The queen reached into her pocket and handed Sookie a miniature sword to her, no longer than the telepath's pinkie finger. Drawing the tiny blade, from the its equally tiny scabbard, Sookie just chuckled and re-sheathed the blade before inclining her head to Claudine and Colman, "I will be in touch, Sookie. Be well, Cousin."

"Be well." Sookie smiled back and watched the pair leave. Before long, she felt their minds disappear outside the building. With a sigh, the new Gatekeeper went back to her table, and to her awaiting lunch, "Well, that was an unexpected turn of events." She smiled at her friend.

"No bloodbaths, beat downs, or wars today?" Angie asked hopefully.

"Nope." Sookie laughed and shook her head, "I just got my first job."

"Oh?" Sookie explained her position to Angie, the best that she could, "So, your cousin, who was a prisoner of the guy that took you, is now queen of the fairies, and she asked you to guard the portal between our world and hers because you killed a revolutionary group that was a threat to you?" Angie recited, wondering if she managed to cram all of the provided information into a single sentence.

"Pretty much." Sookie nodded as she finished her lunch, setting her fork on her plate, and pushing it away ever so slightly. As Angie finished up her own dish, Sookie asked, "Did you want any desert?"

"No, that was a big plate. I am so full." Angie chuckled, patting her belly.

"Did you want to go shoppin', or catch a movie?" Sookie pressed.

Angie giggled a little bit, "Well, that sounds really nice, but you're getting frayed around the edges. I think you should get home to your man. I know he's dead for the day, but it probably still makes you anxious to leave him alone when he's so vulnerable, right?"

Sookie gave her a bemused smile, partly because Angie would have been right if Eric _had_ been dead for the day, "It is hard bein' away from him for long." She admitted.

"Well, we'll have our girls' shopping day another time. Besides, I don't want to go to the mall and get jostled with my ribs healing, and sitting through a movie after eating all that food doesn't sound appealing either."

"Okay, let me just get the check, and I'll walk you to your car." Sookie smiled. "Lunch is on Eric." She laughed as she flagged over a waitress and asked for the check.

"Ooh, I wonder how many free meals I can get out of him." Angie grinned. "We should go somewhere expensive next time."

Sookie laughed as she took the black, leather binder, shoved a $100 bill in it and handed it right back, "No change, thank you." She smiled at the waitress, and Sookie relished in the excited gratitude she heard in the server's head. Sookie could get used to becoming a big tipper. The happiness she gave people when she curried such acknowledgements was very gratifying for her.

"Welcome back, Lover." Eric scooped Sookie into his arms before she could even get out of her car. "Mmmm, you smell of fairy." He groaned, nuzzling his face into her throat as he held her even tighter against him. She felt his body rocking gently against hers and she groaned.

"Yes, Claudine came and visited me at the restaurant while I was with Angie. Colman was with her." She added.

"What did they want?" Sookie looked around Eric's shoulder to see Pam standing in the doorway of the garage. Apparently Eric had gotten bored and called his Child over to entertain him while his Bonded was out.

"To offer me a job." Sookie answered Pam's question.

The vampiress sneered, "They want _more_ from you?"

"I think Claudine only offered me the job because she knew I would like what it entailed." Sookie said slowly as she thought it out.

"Oh? And what will you be doing?" Eric asked.

Sookie grinned, "Killin' fairies." Eric laughed at that. "I'm kinda gonna be like a Fairy Sheriff. I'll guard the portal between our world and Elfyria, and fairies that aren't hostiles will check in with me, and I guess I could give them a sort of visa. Log their time here, their activities, that kind of stuff. And fairies that don't check in with me, I can call hostiles and kill at my will. I thought I might be able to collect fairy blood from my kills. You could probably sell it to other vampires for a pretty penny."

"What a little entrepreneur you've raised, Master." Pam snorted.

"I suppose I would also give passage _back_ into Elfyria to fairies that have gotten stranded in our realm. When Claudine was thinking at me, she had a vague thought of her brother, Claude, and how she wondered if he would ever come home now that Niall is dead."

"And how will you know when fairies cross through the portal?" Pam asked.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Sookie dug the tiny sword out of her pocket, "With this."

"A toothpick?" Pam raised her eyebrows

"It's a _sword_." Sookie huffed.

"It is a needle." Eric remarked.

"It'll get _bigger_." Sookie ground out.

"Swords have a tendency to do that around you, Lover. I know mine does." Eric growled in her ear huskily. Sookie could feel the truth to his statement, proving itself against her backside, and she involuntarily wriggled against it. "So, you will be a Fairy Sheriff? We must get you appropriate attire for your new position."

"Actually, I'm called 'The Gatekeeper'." Sookie told them.

Pam cackled, "Would that make Eric the Keymaster? Because that is a gate only one man will ever open!" She could not help herself, merely because Eric looked about ready to shove his "key" into the new Gatekeeper at any moment.

Sookie giggled at her vampire kin's comment, "I wouldn't mind Eric workin' the lock as often as he likes."

Throwing back her head with laughter, Pam shook her head with lingering amusement once she had calmed a bit, "I will head back home, now that your Sookie has returned. Have a pleasant evening, Keymaster." She chuckled her way out the, still open, garage door.

Gathering Sookie into his arms, Eric nuzzled her neck as he lifted her up and carried his Bonded inside the house. They lay out on the floor of the den while Eric gazed at her appreciatively, "You smell strongly of fairy right now." He told her again.

"Mmm," Sookie sighed happily as Eric continued nudging against her shoulder with his nose, trying to inhale as much of the lingering scent as possible, "I wonder if it will enhance the taste of my blood?" She licked her lips seductively.

Eric pounced on her at that, pulling her dress up until he could press as much of his body against her bare skin as possible. Sookie was tugging at his shirt, wanting the feel of his own flesh pressed against hers.

Soon they were naked on the floor, and Eric was between her legs, his mouth licking and tasting her perfumed skin until his lips were level with her mound. He breathed deeply, enjoying the intoxicating aroma of her juices. His tongue journeyed outward to taste her, and he groaned in pleasure at the flavor. It was many orgasms later on her part before he came back to her lips and kissed her passionately.

"Eric," she groaned, using her legs to pull his hips between her thighs, "need you..." She moaned with a plea. He did not hesitate to push his entire length deep into his fairy's inviting hole.

"Ah! Min vackra brud!" _[My beautiful wife!]_ He grunted as he filled her with enthusiasm, always marveling at how familiar, but somehow new it felt to be inside of her.

"Uh! I love it when you speak Swedish!" She cried as his thrusts grew increasingly persistent. Soon, he flipped her onto her stomach, but kept her lying on the ground as he plundered her, "Oh! Yes!" She arched her back, moving onto her elbows, but keeping her hips to the floor. Her legs spread slightly to accommodate his movements, and she cried out as she felt another orgasm forming, "Ah! Drink from me!" She begged, flipping her hair over one shoulder to offer her neck.

Eric happily obliged, his fangs elongating and his face lunging for the exposed flesh to mark it and be sated.

Her blood _was_ more potent after being around fairies. He had not noticed this when she returned from Elfyria, merely because he was so relieved to have her back that he could not have been more overjoyed with her presence than he had been.

The vampire nursed slowly, but for a long time. He savored every drop she could spare, knowing that it would only be this powerful when she interacted with another fairy.

When he knew that Sookie could not give another drop without feeling the strain, Eric withdrew his fangs and lapped at the wound to help seal it. Her inner walls were still squeezing him rhythmically and Eric tore open his wrist to offer her his own blood. She drank him eagerly when the bleeding wound was before her, and another extensive climax had the fairy rearing back against him as he rode out his own bliss.

A few minutes later, still lying on the den floor, Sookie hugging one of Eric's arms, and his free hand tracing her curves, Eric asked, "Did I take too much blood?"

"Mmm, not at all. Just enough to make me a little tired, but it's a good tired. The kind where you feel like everythin's right with the world, and it's safe to go to sleep." She explained.

"Perhaps you should take a nap?" He suggested.

"Only if you stay in bed with me." She yawned before continuing, "I have to set up an instantaneous passage tonight, and I want you to come with me."

"Oh? Where?" He asked.

"At the site of the portal to Elfyria. I'll need to be able to get there quickly." She told him.

"The graveyard?"

"Yes, how did you know?" Sookie turned in his loose embrace to look at him curiously.

"It was the last spot I could feel you at before you were taken to Elfyria."

"Oh, well, at least its hallowed ground. It's less likely that my Marker will be disturbed there." She shrugged.

"That is true. What will you use?" He leaned forward to nibble her shoulder with blunt teeth.

"There's a band on the Gatekeeper's Saber that I can remove and leave in the graveyard. I will need to carry the saber at all times, anyway." Sookie giggled as Eric rose from the ground, taking her with him and to their bed.

"You will probably need to call Octavia and see if she can teach you a reduction charm like the one your cousin used on the blade. It would be impractical for you to carry it openly in public." He chuckled.

Sookie had to laugh as well as she snuggled into their bed, "Actually, Octavia _did_ teach me an interesting spell. I called it "The Mary Poppins Charm"." She giggled, "I can put a charm in my bag to give it extended capacity."

"That is a good idea." Eric nodded. "And can the charm be transferred between your bags?"

"Yes."

"That will be an optimal alternative." He was smiling down at her proudly, "How much longer before the blade returns to normal?"

"Another hour or so. I should probably get it back out of my dress pocket before it gets destroyed!" She went to rise, but Eric pushed her back onto the bed.

"I will take care of it." He assured, moving at vampire speed and returning with the little blade in his palm. Setting it on the floor near their bed, he climbed back onto the mattress with her, "All taken care of." He smiled. "I am interested in seeing your new weapon at its normal size. How would you like to pass the time until then?" His eyes were all too telling on how _he_ wished to make the hour or so pass.

Pouncing on top of her vampire, Sookie straddled his hips, "I can think of a few things..."

**TBC**

**A/N: EPILOGUE IS NEXT, EVERYONE! REMEMBER TO REVIEW!**

**-ANDI**


	25. Epilogue

Keep Me

_A/N: Welcome Readers, to the FINAL CHAPTER of __Keep Me.__ It was a fun and interesting ride, and I have dreaded this day all week! I did not want to say goodbye so soon, but the story decided that its arc had been accomplished, and I have learned in the past not to ruin a good story by prolonging with filler. There is hope, though, that this Universe I have woven will not be put on the pyre. A second arc is flitting around in my brain, only I need to write more of it to decide if it is viable or not. You may wish to tag me on an author alert in the event that you enjoyed __Keep Me__ and wish to keep an eye out for the continued arc! Oh, and finally, if anyone is interested, one of my readers, Kelpie, who has a blog asked to do an author's interview with me. Though I am still responding to her questions, and my particular Q&A is not posted, check out her interviews with other SVMN fanfiction writers at: .com - just remember to remove the parentheses._

_As always, thank you to my wonderful beta: __**Nerdygirl**__! I could never have finished this story without you!_

_-Andi _

**Epilogue:**

_~Five Years Later~_

Sitting upon his throne at Fangtasia, Eric watched the dancing bodies on the floor before him. He had not anticipated the reception the Great Reveal had brought. Though, of course, there were zealots and arrogant people that thought vampires were an abomination, he had found his niche of individuals begging for a chance to encounter vampires.

At first, their feeding habits had only intrigued the darkest of souls that darkened his nightclub's doorway. Eventually, "brave" people came around, and then came those who were just curious. It had taken nearly a year after the Reveal for Eric to acquire the proper licensing for his establishment, a lot of the time being reduced by healthy campaign donations, and more than a couple of blatant threats. However, once the red tape was cut, and a few toes were stepped on, Fangtasia was ready to open the second the permits were signed.

Sookie had been invaluable to him during that time. She negotiated with public servants, knowing all of their hesitations and having a palatable alternative to quell their resistances. In his club, the telepath was quick to point out cops who were looking for any means to close him down, as well as alert him of a new threat the vampires had not anticipated.

Drainers.

It had not taken long after the Reveal for humans to discover the perks of taking in vampire blood. Even some of vampires' weaknesses had been uncovered and used against them in that short time. But every vampire that came to display themselves, as ordered by Eric, in the club knew that they were being watched over by their Sheriff's gifted Mate.

The role Sookie played in the club was still a mystery to the humans. They were wary of her, for many reasons, the most obvious being the sword she wore threateningly upon her hip. No one knew why the weapon was so prominently displayed, and they did not wish to find out. All they knew was that they did not wish to be at the pointy end of it under any circumstances.

A dark soul, who thought herself a greater consort to the Viking, approached his throne. Sookie had seen the girl's intent even before she bowed before Eric, and had begun working her way to her Bonded through the crowd.

"Master Eric," the black haired seductress, with her deep purple lipstick and Cleopatra eyeliner lilted huskily, "I wish to offer myself to you." Her voice was practically a moan, trying to infuse as much of her devotion as possible.

"I am Bonded, and will decline." Eric waved his hand to dismiss her.

"I have been told that my blood is exceptional." She persisted.

"My Mate's blood is unrivaled." Eric refused again, not letting his impatience show just yet.

"She wouldn't have to know." The woman purred.

"_I know everythin'."_ The lolita jumped at the whisper by her ear, and spun on her knees to see Eric's Bonded leaned over her.

Rather than wilting, the woman straightened her shoulders, "Are you even _old enough_ to be in here?" It was true, Sookie's aging had been stunted by the vampire blood, and in the time she had met Eric, she looked as though she had barely aged a second. The most physical change she had sustained had been a rounding out of her figure as she finally put on the weight that Dr. Ludwig insisted she needed. Had it not been for her driver's license, her presence in the club had almost gotten it closed on several occasions.

Sookie did not reply to the comment, merely straightened up and gazed down at the woman in annoyance. Her arms crossed over her chest as she waited for the woman to back down.

She did not.

"Isn't it past your bedtime?" She taunted, and Sookie smirked and shook her head. "Aren't you gonna say something!?" She demanded, making Sookie's lips quirk even higher. "Bitch." The woman muttered and spun around, stomping off of the dais.

Eric was snarling quietly as Sookie stepped up to his throne, and his arms opened to invite her into his lap. Snuggled in his embrace, Sookie rested her head on his shoulder.

"I do not know why you insist on letting them speak to you like that." He grunted.

"It amuses me." Sookie was still smiling, "As much talk as they have, that's all it is. I could take their head in an instant, but it is too entertainin' to listen to their words and compare it to what is goin' on in their heads." There was a strange pleasure at the lack of symmetry between their condescending words, and the constant worry that her sword would be drawn.

"You would think that with that sword on your hip, they would be more wary." Eric was still unhappy.

"They think it is for show. They do not realize how much blood it has tasted these past years." Sookie smiled, and then laughed as she felt the pommel of the sword vibrate against her side, "Speak of the devil." She stood up and kissed Eric's cheek, "I have to go to work, Lover."

"Be safe."

"Always." Sookie left the dais and went outside the employee entrance. There were wards in the building to prevent teleporting, and Sookie walked through the parking lot until she was no longer governed by them before ***POP***ping to the graveyard.

A male fairy with long blond hair stood just outside of the portal. He jumped when the Gatekeeper appeared suddenly before him. "Shit, don't you ever sleep?" He demanded.

"Not often. Do you have papers?" Sookie held out her hand expectantly.

"Yes, yes." He sighed, reaching into his pocket and producing a thick envelope, "The Queen of Elfyria wanted to give you a heads up. She is prohibiting use of the portal for the next few hours... Er, days. There was a large quantity of precious gems stolen, and she does not want them getting into this realm and sold. She has asked that any that use the portal, other than myself or Colman, be dispatched without warning or hesitation."

"That's always easy for me to agree with." The Gatekeeper was quite fond of "dispatching" fairies, and had even taken to beheading them so that she could drain and sell their blood afterwards. Claudine was aware of Sookie's prominence as the _only_ known vender of fairy blood, and had laughed at her cousin's ambitious entrepreneurship. Though, Sookie was certain that if it had not been her duty to kill those that passed through the portal without proper documents, Claudine would not be so entertained.

Sookie tucked the envelope into her bag without taking her eyes off of the messenger. Her arms were crossed over her chest once again, and she was staring at the man expectantly, "Well? Aren't you goin' back?"

"Oh! Umm..." The fairy trembled slightly, looking at the sword of the Gatekeeper. He had been warned by the Queen long ago when he took the position that the blade was merely for show, and that her new Gatekeeper did not need to use it to do her job. "Yes..." He bowed and turned back to the portal, which was still swirling open at the presence of Empyrodite. "Have a good evening, M'lady."

Sookie waited a moment before putting her sword in her bag and teleporting to Merlotte's. Eric hated that she went to the dive bar, but she told him, it was a good place for her to go when she had Fae business to attend to, as well as wait off the lingering fairy scent she became infused with.

"Evenin', Sooks!" Sam called from behind the bar as the blonde walked in and waved at him. Several waitresses waved at her cheerfully when they heard Sam acknowledge her.

"Evenin', Sam." She nodded and went to her usual booth. "My brother been in?" She called to him.

"Not yet, still early, though." Sam brought her over a gin and tonic; setting it in front of her as she reached into her bag for the envelope she had been given. She read through the documents quickly, asserting that she might be looking at killing a couple more fairies in the next week or so. Colman was excellent at navigating Elfyria's underworld, and he would probably have little difficulty apprehending the culprits. The stolen gems were not anything that could cause harm in Sookie's realm, mostly it was just opal. The telepath had been surprised that opal was an Elfyrian mineral, but its hypnotic blend of colors seemed befitting a mystical world's resources, "Work?" Sam asked when he came with a fresh drink a little later.

"Yes. New orders from my cousin." Sookie folded the thick parchment. "You might be seein' me around a lot the next couple of weeks."

"Lucky me." He laughed, sitting across from her, "How are things at the club?"

Sam had become a fast friend once Sookie was regularly stopping into Bon Temps and checking on the portal. When she dealt with a hostile fairy, Sam's trailer out back had given her a place to shower and change clothes on several occasions. The Shifter liked the girl. She was friendly, but fierce. He had to admit that he never thought he could enjoy the company of someone so involved with vampires, but she told great stories of adventures and intrigue. It was like listening to an old radio program, where you had to visualize the scenes being described, and Sookie was an amazing storyteller.

At first, the use of Merlotte's had been out of necessity. Sookie had to wait for Eric to send for her before she could return home, so that she would not appear beside him in front of the humans he was in business with. Of course their telepathic link had made it easy for them to communicate their needs, but sometimes she was called away while he was in a meeting, and she had been left for a time in the backwater town. Not that Eric would not have excused himself from the meeting long enough to call her back to him, but Sookie liked the idea of being stranded in Bon Temps. It gave her an opportunity to meet up with Jason, or even hang out at Merlotte's, making friends with some of the staff, or just talk with Sam. Sometimes Jason would swing by the graveyard and pick her up, taking Sookie to the bar to wait, and never asking _why_ she always ended up stranded in the town's cemetery.

Now that Sookie could teleport of her own volition, thanks to a power coma she went into around the time that she turned twenty, the fairy hybrid now went to Merlotte's out of habit, or just the occasional meet and greet with Sam and Jason.

Jason and Dawn had long ago split up. Sookie had even seen the girl a few times at Fangtasia, hanging off one vampire or another. However, Sookie had introduced him to Angie, and the pair had hit it off. They had been dating for a few months now.

Despite losing his girlfriend to the vampire culture, Jason had been aware of vampires several years before the Reveal. He knew Eric was a vampire, and really had not put up any resistances to it since he knew how well he cared for his sister. The knowledge of vampires, as well as his Sookie's own differences, had made him quite accepting of Angie's Witch-iness, and left him open minded to the supernatural world.

A Witch girlfriend, a telepathic sister, a vampire brother-in-law, for lack of a better word, and eventually he had been told of his _own_ supernatural connection. Sookie was surprised how bummed out Jason seemed when he found out he was part Supe, but had no gifts. She had laughed at his pout and ruffled his hair childishly then.

"Hey, Sooks!" Jason came and sat beside her at the booth, "What are you readin'?"

"Just work stuff." Sookie placed the papers back in the envelope and shoved them back in her purse. "You seein' Angie tonight?"

"Nah, we have to work tomorrow mornin', and I couldn't convince her to come out. Most of my work's in Shreveport, too, and it would make sense to move out there, but..." Sookie could see in his head that he did not want to give up their parents' old home.

"Why don't you just spend the night at her place then? You got to be in Shreveport tomorrow anyway..." Sookie pointed out.

"You know she ain't let me stay at her place since I left a beer on her altar." Jason frowned, "Seriously, it's a damn table. You're s'pose to set stuff down on it." He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

Sookie laughed, "This comin' from the guy who ranted about Angie washin' his Saints jersey durin' the playoffs?" The girl grimaced mid-laugh.

"Eric?" Sam guessed.

"He's really annoyed." Sookie nodded, _"Darlin', what's goin' on?"_

"_That bitch you would not let me throttle is trying to offer herself again."_ Eric answered her.

Sookie's eyes narrowed and Sam leaned back on automatic, just in time to avoid getting splashed with gin as Sookie's glass blew up. Jason was not so lucky, but he did not seem to really mind it. "Uh..." Sam watched her expectantly.

"I need to take care of somethin'." Sookie grounded out, rising from the booth as Jason stepped out to let her pass, "I don't think I'll be back tonight." She threw down more than enough money to cover her drinks.

"Gotcha."

Sookie was just past the backdoor of the bar when she teleported to the Fangtasia parking lot. Pulling her sword from her bag, she had it fastened quickly at her hip. She stomped her way back into the bar, through the crowd and once more to the dais. The self-proclaimed temptress was again kneeling before a sneering Eric, and this time Sookie was not amused. The whore had already gotten her warning.

Reaching the platform, Sookie grabbed a fistful of artificially black hair, and yanked the woman to her feet. "Get. Away. From. My. MATE!" She howled in the girl's face before reeling her arm back and sending her sliding across the dance floor. "Eric is MINE!" She announced to the club, "If anyone challenges my claim again, I will have their head!" As if to emphasize her point, Sookie's hand fell to the hilt of her sword, grasping it firmly.

The home wrecker was clambering back in her nine inch heels, stumbling slightly as she held her head where her hair had been pulled so roughly. Sookie could hear all the things the woman wanted to say, but was now too terrified to utter. With a snarl, Sookie squared off her shoulders, "Get. Out."

After the tramp had scampered for the door, Sookie climbed the stage and went to Eric's throne. He was sitting with the same posture as when she had first arrived, only his annoyed expression had transformed into one of passion and amusement. Sookie straddled his hips without a word and crushed her mouth to his as Eric's hands grasped fistfuls of her bottom. It only took a few moments of kissing before Eric stood from his chair and carried Sookie into his office.

"I love when you get territorial." He growled as his office door slammed shut.

"I love how hot it gets you." Sookie grunted as her chest was pushed roughly against his desk, and Eric yanked her panties off her underneath her dress. The woman spread her legs as she reached back to flip her skirt up over her rear. Her vampire did not hesitate to ram his thick rod deep inside of her at that, and pound his flesh against hers with all of his strength. She had claimed him, now it was time to mark _his_ territory. His fangs pierced her neck without warning, and Sookie mewled beneath him, bucking wildly at the familiar hurt that made her climax.

"Yes, Sookie," Eric growled against her neck, "come for my fangs." He grunted as his hips continued to crash into her. Even as she began to go limp from the intensity of the swift orgasm, Eric kept pushing harder against her backside, "Mmm, not done yet, I hope?" He was grinning now as his hand reached in front of her to play between her folds. Sookie jerked at the attention he played to the hyper sensitive spot. It did not take long for him to pull another climax from her, and then a third, before finally filling her with his own essence, "Ah!" He pushed in as deeply as he could before succumbing to his release, her internal walls flexing around him aggressively.

Sookie lay panting, half sprawled on his desk. She moaned as Eric lifted her by her hips and laid her out flat across the surface of his desk. Her breathing was harsh as her Bonded pulled the straps of her dress from her shoulders, down to expose her heaving breasts. Crouching beside the table, he watched her body tremble, her chest gasping for air, and those marvelous tits beckoning towards the ceiling. He could watch her breathe all night.

As she began to calm, Sookie looked to the side, smiling at seeing her vampire watching her. Reaching out a weak hand, she stroked his cheek, eyes hooded with satiation, "I love you."

Turning his face into her palm, he kissed it before answering, "I love you, too."

With a feline stretch of contentment, Sookie began to sit up. She gave another long, luxurious stretch before hopping off of the desk and heading towards the small bathroom annexed off of his office for her use.

"Where are you going?" Eric asked as he rose from his crouch, straightening his pants.

"To wash up." She giggled.

"No." Eric shook his head, zipping between her and the washroom, "Stay just like this..." He emphasized his enjoyment at her state by taking a long inhalation of her post-sex perfume.

"Can I at least have my underwear back? Your stuff's goin' to be drippin' down my leg without them." Sookie reached up to wrap her arms around his neck.

"No, let it." He nuzzled her throat, "You showed your rights to me, I wish to display mine to you."

Sookie could already feel his spending's trickling down the insides of her thighs; it did not take long for the trail to reach her knees, "Eric," she complained softly, "you come a _lot_. It's goin' to look like I wet myself if I sit down in this dress."

Eric growled, as he reached under the hem of her skirt, his hand delving into her recently plundered hole, "Ah!" She grabbed his upper arms to support herself as his fingers worked her.

The action only lasted a short time before his hand was in front of her mouth, coated thickly in both of their fluids, "Lick it clean." He demanded, and her tongue made quick work of lapping up the sticky mess, even drinking down the remnants that had pooled in his palm. Eric repeated this action several times before she had swallowed down most of what he had left behind, "There," he nipped her earlobe, "now it will not be dripping down those sexy thighs, but you will still smell like you did not clean up." He seemed pleased with this ultimatum.

Sookie groaned as his fingers went back between her legs to play with her again, "You are ready to go again, already, Sookie?" Eric asked with amusement before whispering into her ear, "Do you still enjoy my taste so much, after these past years?"

"Yes..." She hissed, clutching the front of his shirt.

"Then undo my pants. You can clean my cock, too." He gave her a slightly rougher push to encourage Sookie to her knees. She fell happily to the floor, opening his pants back up and taking his semi-hard staff into her hands. Her mouth enveloped him without any more insistence, and Sookie licked and sucked him with the same enthusiasm she had since the first evening she had met him. "Uh! Min vackra brud! Din mun känns så bra!" _[My beautiful bride! Your mouth feels so good!]_.

Sookie loved when he spoke in Swedish, not just because it sounded sexy to her, but because there was a prideful pleasure she felt when she made him forget how to speak English.

His native tongue was all he could speak in as her mouth did all sorts of wicked things to him, and Sookie found her fingers venturing between her thighs to play with herself. Rubbing her clit frantically, Sookie was bucking into her own hand as Eric was bucking against her face. A few minutes later, she was swallowing more of his essence as her hand became coated in a fresh wave of her juices.

"I cannot ever get enough of you." Eric growled hungrily as he lifted Sookie back to her feet and flung the girl onto his leather couch. His hands yanked her thighs apart as his mouth dove down to lick and his fingers came to plunder once more.

Sookie was a wriggling, panting mass of limbs by the time he let her rest, and she was elated that he did not let her go for a long while. Every moment he spent with her like this reinforced Sookie's belief that he would _always_ want her.

"Of course I will." Eric said softly, kissing the inside of her thigh gently, "I will want you for the rest of eternity." He licked the space between her legs clean, as well as his own hand before he helped Sookie get her dress back to rights. "There will never be another more suited for me." He kissed the top of her head now.

"I didn't realize I was projecting that thought." She replied shyly.

"Even if you had not, I know what you are thinking when you feel hope during sex." He held her tightly, "My Sookie, I cannot wait for the day when you finally believe that I will not leave you behind."

The telepath could feel a deep sadness in Eric as he spoke, "I'm sorry." She shook her head firmly, "I'm bein' ridiculous. You'll never leave me. I know you won't. And you're not my past. You're my present and future. My forever. My past is never goin' to catch back up again. My past is dead; I made damned sure of that." Eric laughed at the declaration and nodded in agreement.

"Yes, my Bonded, you definitely did." He kissed the top of her head as they took one another's hands and went back onto the main floor.

Soon, the pair was back on Eric's throne, several vampires looking at them hungrily as the smell of sex and blood fragranced the air of the dance floor. As the pair sat, overlooking the bedlam of the Fangtasia dance floor, Eric wrapped Sookie's tiny hand into his large on and brought it to his lips to kiss.

More had changed in his existence in the past six years than in the past 200, since after making and training his Child. Gazing at his Bonded, he saw the future as something so much more than acquiring wealth, or just _existing_. When Sookie entered his world, he had begun to _live_.

The ancient vampire thought of all of the things he wanted to give to Sookie, all of the places he wanted to take her, and all of the experiences he wanted to _share_ with her. Yes, share. It would not be like with Pam, where he had felt a pleasant nostalgia at her wondrous adventures. He would actually get to _experience_ the same awe and excitement that Sookie would, as if it were all new again to him, too. He would be able to look upon the wonders of the world in the daylight with her. He would be able to make love to her on every continent, in every country, in every _city_ in the world. She had not aged a day since he met her, and he knew that she had a long, young, vibrant _life_ to live before he was forced to turn her so that they could live out their forever.

"My Bonded, how did I ever get to have a miracle like you?" Eric whispered in awe of her.

Looking in to Eric's eyes, the woman smiled brightly, and she arched upwards and captured her Viking's lips with hers, kissing him as he poured all of his hope, love, and passion into the Bond, having it reflected back at him. As she pulled away from the breathtaking kiss, she whispered against his parted lips:

"You decided to keep me."

_**~The End**_

_A/N: It is my final time asking you for this story: __**PLEASE REMEMBER TO REVIEW!**_

_**-ANDI**_


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